Life and Times of Outlaw Queen
by outlawqueenbey44
Summary: An OutlawQueen series of one shots and mini verses. Ratings vary and other characters are certainly involved in some of the prompts. Happy reading and feel free to leave a prompt!
1. Soothing Nightmares

**Soothing Nightmares**

Cold sheets, that's all his hand came into contact with as he blindly fumbled for her. His brow furrowed as he cracked an eye open, the clock on the bedside table blared out half past four. Sitting up slowly, he ran his hand through his tousled hair. The absence of her was something he had a strong distaste for. Searching quickly around the room it was empty and a small flicker of worry flared in him. Pushing the heavy duvet back, bare feet landed on the cool floor as he padded out to the door in search of her.

Henry's room was empty, the young lad opting to spend the night at Emma's. It was Roland's bare room that had his concern growing more though. The stairs creaked as he toed down them. The living room was dark, as was Regina's office but the small glow of light from the kitchen broke through the darkness. Silently he wandered over, the quiet of the house giving way to light hushed laughing. His heart threatened to burst as his eyes found his family. Roland perched on Regina's lap, fingers twirling in her long chocolate hair as she sat at the breakfast bar. He watched from the archway, the pair completely unaware of his presence. Roland's little giggles erupted as Regina swooped in to pepper his chubby face in kisses, her arms locking him in place as she relentlessly adorned the little toddler in affection.

"Gina‼" his tiny voice cracking through his laughter "Gina! Stop it". Roland fleetingly tried to wriggle from her grasp, half heartedly in truth from Robin's perspective. She pulled back from nuzzling into his neck, pecking his nose before a happy chuckle of her own escaped. Roland's little hands wiped over his nose as a small protest of "hey‼ not my nose!" bubbled out. She smiled before brushing the curly locks out of his face.

"Are you feeling better honey?" her tone warm like honey as she hugged him tight, his head automatically resting under her chin as his body curled into her. Roland nodded as he buried himself into her further, one hand resting flat on her chest, the other holding onto a long curl of hair. She rocked lightly back and forth, her eyes closing, chin coming to rest on the unruly mop of brown hair as she began to mindless hum the drifting off tyke a wordless lullaby.

Robin leaned against the doorframe, smiling at the perfect picture in front of him, letting his memory catalogue it.

"Gina?" Rolands sleepy voice broke Regina's tune

"Yes baby?" her hands rubbing small circles on his back.

"thank you for saving me from the monster" he all but whispered out, his chubby fingers drawing patterns on her skin absently.

She smiled into the crown of his head, her arms wrapping harder around his little body as she began to rock them back and forth once more.

"I will always protect you Roland"

He pulled back, staring up at her with his big brown button eyes.

"You Promise?" his little voice wavering

Leaning forward her lips pressed hard against his forehead for a moment before she dropped her face down, resting her own brow against his. Her eyes found his, warm and so full of love as she smiled.

"I Promise"

Robins heart clenched in his chest, as he watched Roland's arms fly around Regina's neck, hugging her fiercely. She cradled him back and let the quiet of the kitchen soothe him back to sleep. Robin decided that he wouldn't interrupt this moment, turning and walking back up the stairs. He waited for her, finally hearing her light footsteps head up the stairs and into Rolands room. A few minutes ticked by before the bedroom door opened and she slipped inside, unaware to the fact that Robin was awake and waiting for her.

She crawled back into their bed, immediately moving over to him before she tugged the heavy blanket over their body. Resting her head on his chest, her hand splayed across his abdomen, hugging him tight to her body as a leg drifted in between his. The steady beating of his heart began to lull her back to sleep as she snuggled into his warmth.

He wrapped her in tighter, one arms encircling her back as the other interlaced their fingers on his stomach. His lips pressed gently against her forehead as she hummed at the contact.

"Everything okay?" he asked as his fingers ran light circles over her shoulder.

"Roland had a nightmare again"

"Which one?"

"The Monkey in the Enchanted Forest"

Robin grimaced, the nightmare had haunted his son for the better of a year, and the only one who seemed to be able to soothe him was Regina.

"He's okay though" her voice whispered into his chest.

Robin hugged her tighter, letting the smell of roses that seemed to cling to her surround him. He could feel her breathing begin to deepen, her body laying heavier against his own.

"I Love You Regina" he kissed the soft skin of her brow once more before sagging into the thick mattress.

"I Love You To" she murmured back, giving him one last sleepy hug before completely drifting off.

His last thoughts before sleep claimed him were of that fateful day, when a Queen fell from the sky and claimed his heart…a day that he would be forever grateful for.

 **FIN.**


	2. I'll Take Care Of You

**I'll Take Care Of You**

 **Post 5x02**

His heavy pained groan makes her ache. The way his brow furrows, eyes crease and lips purse sends a knife through her. With a cool cloth she sits beside him on the bed, gently wiping away the beads of sweat from his sandy hair. Her own head is pounding, ribs aching but all that matters is him right now. He had nearly been taken from her, dragged into the underworld, separating the pair for eternity. His breathing is ragged, the internal damage from his soul being sucked by the demon lingering. She tried to heal him, erase the pain that had been inflicted, but the dizziness that filled her head left her at a disadvantage.

He would be okay, but it still plagued her, pained her, crushed her heart that her soulmate was in a battle for relief from the agony all because he tried to save her. And though he tried to convince her constantly otherwise, in her heart she still didn't believe she was worth saving, his life was more important than hers, and it always would be.

He lets out a shaky breath, matching it with a grimace as he shifts his body, resting down into the pillows. Blue eyes crack open and find hers with a weak smile. Her fingers caress along his stubbled jaw line, thumb tracing the creases of his eye as she returns the small smile.

"How are you feeling?" Her voice is low, laced in concern for him.

"Better than a few hours ago" He groans out as one arms wraps around her back, the other laying gently on her exposed thigh, rubbing mindless small circles into the smooth skin. They sit there for a moment, comfortable and safe, and more importantly together. His palm runs up her back and she can't help the slight jerk as a shock of pain from the bruised ribs hits her.

His eyes crease and he is about to ask her whats wrong, but she shakes her head quickly, smiling weakly as she continues to card her fingers through his hair. The thumping in her head is ever present, a small ringing in her ears lingers, the dizziness still holding a grasp on her. Closing her eyes she swallows down hard, pushing her own pain away, she needs to focus on him.

"Regina?" His calming tone pulls her back, his hand cupping her cheek as she flickers her gaze up to his. It tugs on her heart strings the look of concern that is etched across his face. No one has ever expressed this deep of emotion for her, no one wanted to soothe her bruises, heal her cuts, wipe away her tears. No one but Robin.

"I'm fine" The words get stuck as a wave of pain runs through her.

Robin lets out a breathy laugh "You are the worst liar, you know that?" His one hand squeezes her thigh, as he smiles up at his soulmate.

"I am not" a blush climbs her neck, leaving a tinge of light pink in it's path.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, truly. I am okay"

He huffs out a heavy breath "You are so stubborn sometimes"

She scoffs playfully at him "Me? Stubborn?"

Robin shuffles his body up the bed, not giving a second thought at the exasperated expression on Regina's face.

"Robin, you need to relax" her palms rest gently on his chest, the beat of his heart strong under her palm.

"I'll relax when you tell me what's wrong" He retorts back softly.

Regina rolls her eyes … maybe not the best decision as her dizziness flares up … "And you call me stubborn"

Their eyes meet, holding each others gaze, Robin's one hand moves from her back and interlaces his fingers to hers on his chest. She can feel his love, as though its a warm hug, a tidal wave rushing over her, a flame that never extinguishes. Sighing gently as to not aggravate her ribs she shrugs.

"I think I have a concussion….."

Robin frowns, the hand that rests on her back moving up to the back of her neck, cradling her head ever so gently.

"And?" His blue eyes wise and soft.

With a half smile she gives in "And possibly 2 bruised ribs…but that's it, minus a few cuts and small bruises"

He shifts his hand from her hair, laying it carefully against her sides, watching her eyes shut for a half second, her body tenses for a moment before relaxing into him. His thumb runs lightly over the silk blouse feeling the bumps of her ribs.

Regina sighs "I'll be fine"

"As will I, but that shouldn't mean you shouldn't be taken care of yourself as well"

"You're more important" She replies quietly, her eyes falling from his.

Those words pain him deep down, worse that any physical agony he may be feeling. He pushes himself from the mattress, groaning low at the movement, but her bleeding heart is more important than his pain.

"Robin-" She goes to force him back down, but he cuts her off, pressing his lips into hers. She sighs into the kiss, his hand never leaving her sore ribs as the other laces their fingers together places their palms over his heart.

Pulling back a breath from her, he leans his forehead to hers. "Let me take care of you" He whispered against her lips before gently catching them once, twice, three more small times.

Her hand that isn't laced within his, curls around him, scratching lightly at the ends of his hair at the back of his neck.

"Please?" He mumbles out.

She doesn't say anything, just leans into him, his pine and fresh rain smell hugging her, the gentle rubbing in his thumb on her side. Her eyes close as his lips leave a trail of kisses on her shoulder and back up to her neck.

"Just lay here with me for a while, get some sleep"

Robin pulls back, finding her eyes, smiling at her gently. He doesn't wait for her to answer as he lays back down on the bed, shuffling to the side, opening a cocoon of space beside him for her. Her heart thrums for him, beating heavy with love and she carefully lays herself down beside him, hugging into his side.

His arms wrap around her, one hand playing with the ends of her hair, the other resting carefully on her ribs once more. The room falls into quiet, the only sound is their breathing, matched and soft. His lips press kiss after kiss into the crown of her head as she rests on his chest, ear pressed over his heart.

The throbbing headache recedes down as he peppers her with love. The dull ache in her ribs subsiding with every caress of his hands. Her eyes close as the beating of his heart lulls her to sleep, the last thing she hears is his warm voice promising her something she'd never had before.

"I'll take care of you Regina"

She sighs into him, finally letting someone care of her, soothe her, and heal her.

 **FIN.**


	3. Magic or Not

_**PROMPT: Whether Regina has magic or not, it won't stop Robin from trying to protect her.**_

It had been going on for a while, this, whatever this was, this need that he apparently had. It earned him a broken hand at the pub months back when he walked in to find her cornered by some drunk leaning in way to far. He could see the discomfort in her eyes through the mask she wore and that was it for him. She wasn't thrilled to be sitting in the hospital later but smiled gently at him as they waited, leaving a chaste thank you kiss on his lips. She thought it would be a one time thing, but it wasn't.

If anything his new need to protect her from everything flourished. The smallest nasty word thrown at her, he would step in, quickly firing back a harsh retort before she could say anything, his fingers lacing into hers before he would pull her away. To the time the pushed her out of the way in the middle of the street, letting the car hit him instead of her. She thought she lost him that time, the crunch of his body slamming into the vehicle, the broken ribs and blood that spilled from him. She screamed in a panic, flying over to him and letting her magic flow instantly to heal before he was gone. He spent near a week lying in bed recuperating, grimacing and groaning through the lingering aches she couldn't take away. She scoffed at him one of the nights, shaking her head in annoyance that he didn't just let her stop the car, she was certain she would have seen it in time. He had simply shrugged back, replying that he couldn't take that chance. She exhaled heavy, he was just as stubborn as she was, more so even sometimes, especially when it came to her and her happiness, but she wasn't happy with him lying bruised and battered.

It got worse when a knight of the round table decided to avenge his fallen brother who had attacked her back in Camelot. With a sword pulled in a second at her, pointed straight at her throat, a deathly glare in his eyes. She could have stopped the knight with a flick of her wrist after her moment of shock faded, it would have been easy and painless, if Robin hadn't gotten in her way.

Instead she stood there half helpless as her soulmate clashed swords with the attacker, exchanging heavy blows. She was finally able to render the knight incapacitated after he received a thick cut to the thigh from Robin. She froze him in his spot, letting the Charmings pull him away as she ran to her soulmate. Robin bled heavy from his shoulder, a deep gash ripped in his taut arm. Memories of Camelot flooded her as the blood poured out, to another time he had jumped in the way and nearly died when she couldn't save him with her magic.

Thankful she could at least heal him this time, the scar still remained, a reminder of how once again he had put her safety first, without regard for his own life. That night when they were lying in bed as she careful rubbing light circles into his chest she wanted to bring it up. Loving that he was trying to protect her but it really was only getting him hurt and that was something she was not okay with. She was fine if she was the one taking the blows, being on the receiving end of the damage, it had been like that her whole life, a path that she walked alone for years. The fact that he was fierce in her protection was something new, something unexpected and it left her with a warm sensation in her stomach, a comforting thought that he wanted to help her, whether she needed it or not. So she let it go once again, deciding that she'd rather sleep curled next to him. Even as his shoulder ached he still hugged her into him, pressing a kiss to her forehead leaving her dozing off with a whisper that he was so thankful she was alright.

But here she was once again, with a cold cloth pressed against his forehead, her stomach in knots over his labored breathing, rattling with each inhale. This time was different though and she admittedly was terrified for him. Bow and arrow drawn, he'd stepped in front of her once again as Dark Ones surrounded them, absorbing a black jet of magic that was directed at her. He fell to the ground, clutching his chest, writhing in pain. She fell beside him, not giving a second thought to the fact both she and her soulmate had just been branded to the Underworld, instead focusing on the dimming beat of his heart, grey ashy tone of his skin, clammy nature of his usually warm skin.

She held back tears as purple smoke engulfed them, transporting the pair back to the safety of the mansion and into her bed. Black lines emanated from his light skin, the dark magic etching it's way through his body. She laid there for hours pulling it from him, inch by inch. Sweat pooling on her brow as her hands glowed over him, the deadly magic smoking out in thick grey smoke. It took her to the point of exhaustion to bring him back, swallowing an absorbent amount of dark magic into her own body before she heard his breathing once again, labored as it was, it was still there.

The night passed as she laid beside him, her hands never leaving his chest, ensuring that his heart still beat. She dared not close her eyes, fearing that she would wake up and he would be gone. Dark magic was not kind to those who were unfamiliar to it's power, it could devastate a person within seconds. She curled into his body, listening to him breathe, her head rising and falling with each as she rested on his chest, her ear pressed to him, letting the thumping of his heart ease her panic.

"Regina, rest my love" his voice cracked through the silence of the room.

Her arms wrapped around his torso, her face settling into the junction of his neck, inhaling his forest scent. Robin's hugged her in tighter, palms rubbing her back over the smooth silk blouse.

"I can't" she whispered back, tears threatening against her lashes once more.

She felt him shuffling, his hands pulling her up as he moved down till they were nose to nose. She couldn't look at him without having the emotional dam explode so her eyes remained shut. His fingers traced along her cheekbone and threaded through her hair.

"Regina, I'm alright" he kissed her through his words, leaving a trail from her forehead to her eyelids, across her cheeks and landing on her lips.

She was angry, beautifully angry with him, this foolish amazing man. A traitorous tear slipped from her eyes, only to be quickly kissed away by the fool she loved with her entire being.

"Hey no need for tears, I'm here, we are okay" His lips whispered against hers as he tugged her into him closer, melding his body with hers.

Her heart clenched at his words, tears falling freely through her inability to stop them, his forest smell invading her, a scent she just about lost, her marker of home, safety net, it had just about been taken from her.

"You need to stop doing that" she finally broke out.

Confusion hit him as his brow furrowed "Doing what My Love?"

She sighed heavy against him, fingers lightly dragging across the smooth skin of his chest, scratching the stubble under his chin before moving up to card through his hair. "Stop trying to save me"

He pulled back from her and tilted her chin up to meet his eyes, his heart burned when he saw the tears that pooled in her chocolate gaze. Shaking his head lightly, he cupped the back of her neck, keeping her locked into his eyes. "Never Regina"

"Robin…." Her tone thick through her exhale "You nearly died, and it's not the first time….you're being reckless"

"Reckless? How is protecting you being reckless?" He questioned back in hurtful shock.

Another tear fell as her gaze fell from his, instead falling onto the black inking on his forearm. She squeezed the tattoo, tracing it's pattern with a finger. For years she wondered about the man with the lion tattoo, who he was, where he was, if he was happy…and now that she had him, the idea of losing him was unbearable.

"Protecting me is reckless in itself, I'm not worth it Robin"

It felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, a painful punch to the heart. He knew that she didn't hold her self-preservation high on her priority list, but it was at the very top of his. She was everything to him.

"Now you're being the one being reckless Regina." He stated bluntly.

Her eyes flickered up to him in uncertainty, eyebrows cinching together at his words.

"How am I being reckless?"

"With my heart" he whispered, blue eyes scanning her own confused look "You not thinking you are worth saving, is the same thing as tearing my heart out, reckless."

The small smile that parted across his face was enough to melt her, set her heart on fire for him. He leaned in, capturing her lips in a soft kiss, hoping she'd feel how much he loved her, how much he needed her. He lets her lips go with a soft pop, soaking in the light mint and raspberry flavor of her.

She sighed into him, resting her forehead against his, "Robin, I can protect myself, I don't need you to be jeopardizing your life when I have magic as my defense"

His hands ran up her back gently "Regina, I know you can take care of yourself. You've been doing it your entire life. But the difference is you no longer have to be alone, nor will you ever be"

She huffed out a small breath "I will be if you die trying to save me".

He tilted her face back up, once again locking eyes with her.

"It would be worth it, you are worth it"

"No I'm-" her rebuttal was cut off by his lips pressing hard against hers. A small moan escaped from the back of her throat as he pulled back from her, leaving their lips brushing against each other. His hand cradled the back of her head, thumb sweeping against her silk skin.

"You are worth it Regina, whether you think it or not. I refuse to not at least try and protect you and there isn't anything you can do to stop it from happening"

Her heart glowed, warmth spreading through her as she listened to him. Never had anyone wanted to save her, try to protect her, made her feel a tenth of what Robin was making her feel. Through her irritation and mainly her fear of losing him, she loved that he loved her like this. So fully it was near suffocating in the most beautiful way possible. She may not be able to stop him, and she knew deep down if he died it would shatter her completely, but maybe together they could protect each other.

"I could turn you into a toad" She smiled lightly as she bit down on her lower lip.

Robin laughed and caught her lips once again, feeling her body press back without hesitation this time. Though he knew he had a lot of close calls this past year, and maybe she could take care of herself, but he would be damned if she felt like alone in it.

Magic or not, he would walk through hell and back for her, and she knew it.


	4. Waking Up with a Promise

**Prompt: Waking Up & A Promise for the Future **

It never escaped her, these early morning moments when he would grab her waist, tug her back into his chest, and sigh heavily into her neck. No one ever held her like this, and for so long she never wanted to be. But something or rather someone completely changed everything in her world. Where there was once pain and anger, now was over ruled but love and peace. He gave that to her, through every bump in their road, he still was her constant even after every fight, he still came back to her.

She snuggled deeper into him, interlacing their fingers together on her stomach, his lazily tracing lines across the hem of the silk shirt where her smooth skin was exposed. His heavy breathes moved against her back, lulling her into a peaceful moment. If there was a way to freeze time, this would be one of those instances she would love to have forever.

He nuzzled into her neck, a chaste light kiss landing on her olive skin. She hummed in kind, squeezing his fingers as she pulled them up to her chest, incasing her body into his arms. The beat of his heart tapped lightly against her back. She loved the feeling of it, thrumming against her palms, under her ear, pressed into her chest. It was the most beautiful sound, the one thing that could bring her true solace and safety.

She wondered how she ever lived without him now that she knew what loving him was like. The most honest answer she could give to herself was that she wasn't living at all, merely going through the motions of a dark and sad life. Living was this. Feeling that bubbling warmth in the pit of her stomach when he'd kiss her unexpectedly, the fluttering of her heart when he'd smile at her across a room, the adoration in his eyes that nearly could bring her to tears. It was everything, everything she always wanted and never knew she could have.

She turned in his arms, pressing her body into his, to which he hummed in approval. One arm cushioned her head, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair that fell down to her shoulders, the other hand rubbing smooth small circles on her lower back, dipping gently into the waistband before resting on her high on her cheeks. She reveled in how he loved her body, every inch of it he had kissed, touched, and tasted, and it never failed to make that hot coil tighten deep inside at his blatant unabashed compliments he freely gave.

"Good Morning My Love" his sleepy voice broke her from her thoughts and she smiled. She adored his just woke up groggy mind, the crooked half dazed smile he would send to her before quickly kissing her lips.

"Morning" she purred back against him, her fingers carding through his sandy blonde hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him back gently into her lips. They were soft, warm like honey as they moved against hers, lightly pulling and pressing in smooth motion.

They laid together for a few moments, just enjoying the morning greeting, Robin's hands running slowly up and down her back as she hummed into his mouth in loving response. They parted with a little pop of their lips, but not moving further away, content to let their foreheads rest together, noses bumping gently, lips lightly brushing.

The sun began to beam through the room, hitting Regina's back, warming her skin. It felt amazing, just to be laying here with someone who loved her. She knew she wasn't always the easiest person, her temper would flare, the stubborn nature and sharp tongue causing a few exasperated looks from him every now and then. But he never once let her think he didn't love her. Even when she got a bit to much and he needed air to breathe, he would walk outside, sit underneath her tree and let them cool down, but he always came back inside, always would find her and without saying anything pull her into a hug, and kiss the anger away.

It was odd how easily he could calm her down, it wasn't anything extravagant he did, it was just him, and that's all she ever needed.

"Penny for your thoughts"

She smiled and kissed him softly once more, earning a light groan from him.

"I was just thinking how happy I am to have someone to wake up with like this"

Though her eyes were still closed she could feel the smile that broke across him, his heart beat picking up a fraction under her hands, his arms wrapping tighter around her.

"There's no place I'd rather be, than right here with you" he murmured back, pressing his lips to her once more. She smiled through his kiss, her heart beaming. It felt so good to be in love.

Her eyes cracked open and the sparkle on her left hand caught her eye. Never in a million years did she think she'd ever have this, and he was completely right, it was all about timing. Years ago when she ran from him she regretted it, but they both knew it never would have worked, and they wouldn't have their boys, the two precious children that consumed their entire world.

"Well you're stuck with me now Thief" she chuckled, pulling back a fraction to find his eyes. She melted at the adoration that poured from them. Robin gently grabbed her left hand, an eyebrow arching through his easy smile as he kissed the finger where the ring danced.

"Like I said, no place I'd rather be"

His smile grew wider in unison with hers as she rolled onto her back, her hands holding his as they laid on her rounded stomach.

"They are awake" Regina glowed out, beaming at the little miracles that were kicking against her.

Robin lifted the silk tank top, shifting it till it resting under her breasts, exposing her pregnant belly to him. He still couldn't believe they were here, about to be married to his soulmate who carried his twins. Never in his life did he think he could be this happy.

Leaning over he lined her skin with soft kisses, her hand cupping the back of his head as she hummed gently.

"We should think of names soon" she proposed.

"Do you have anything in mind?"

She took a moment, before answering back "I was thinking Raven for the girl?"

"Raven Hood-Mills, I like it, and the little outlaw?"

"I don't know, do you have any ideas?"

He kissed her stomach one last time, reveling in the smoothness of her skin, the warmth of her body.

"I was thinking Reid, keeping with the R theme we have going"

She smiled as she nodded, tears filling her eyes as her hands holding her growing belly.

Raven and Reid, the perfect new additions to their family.

FIN.


	5. 321

**A little one shot from a tumblr prompt -**

 **"Ringing in the New Year"**

She'd never been one for public displays of affection, found them rather nauseating in truth. But as she watched the Charmings gently kiss, Emma and her annoying Pirate lip lock repeatedly, hell even Ruby and Whale were going at it like teenagers, an odd emotion flooded her.

Sure it was New Years, and they were all at Granny's about to celebrate bringing in another year hopefully villain free, but that didn't mean everyone had to be swapping spit right in front of her.

Focusing back down on the martini, her slender fingers twirled the red stick, the olive bouncing gently in the glass. She felt him before he said anything, like a second nature, a sixth sense. He was warm, comforting, and all hers.

"M'lady" his adoring accent whispered into the curtain of her chocolate hair, sending a tingle down her back. Leaning in, he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple as his hand found her free one, interlocking their fingers.

She turned, and though it had been over a year together, his blue eyes still managed to make her heart skip a beat, her smile parting on it's own volition. Sitting wrapped up completely in him, it caught her off guard when his lips descended onto hers, the light taste of ale and mint coating her lips. For a second she let herself melt into him, a tight moan escaping from her throat.

From across the diner, some idiots whistling, followed by the entire diner's whoops and hollers at their rare affectionate moment pulled them apart. Rouge ran up her cheeks as she rolled her eyes, staring back down at the drink. Robin watched her, the way her eyes gave up what she was truly feeling, like a window to her soul.

"Are you shy about kissing me in public Regina?" he leaned his forehead into the side of her head, tipping it gently so he could catch her eyes.

"I've just never really been big on tongue battling in public" she smirked back, licking her bottom lip quickly. He let out a breathless chuckle beside her before kissing her shoulder and standing back up, pulling her with him.

Arching an eyebrow in question, her thief smiled with a shrug "The countdown is about to start". She followed absently as he walked her to the near middle of the room, moving them front and center. His arms wrapped around her slim waist, hugging her tight into him, an action which she thankfully would allow him.

He watched the screen, bright lights dancing behind the ball that was beginning to descend, his heart picked up in anticipation. She may be really angry with him later but it would be completely worth every second.

The group began to shout the last few seconds, and Robin's hands gripped her waist tighter, creating a breath of space between their hips.

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

He stepped back and she turned to look where he was going

"2!"

She should have known from the smile of his face

"1!"

He spun her around, a hand threading threw her long curling hair, the other held tight to the small of her back as he dipped her deep. His lips attached to hers, pressing hard ensuring she couldn't wriggle free.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR‼" The diner exploded in cheers, half for the celebration and half for the enamoring kiss that was displayed for all to see.

Her heart hammered in her chest as he swung her back up, her arms wrapped tight around his neck as she found her footing once more. Their lips parted with a pop and it took a second for them to catch their breath.

"Happy New Year My Love" he smiled into their embrace as their eyes locked onto one another.

For all the jesting and poking that would happen after, right now she didn't really care, the glow in her heart over powering anything else but him.

"Happy New Year, Thief"

It was her that kissed him this time, letting all the sounds drown away, just so she could drown into him.

 **FIN.**


	6. A Taste of Basil

**Cooking Prompt**

He was exhausted, completely worn out as the car slowed to a stop in front of the mansion. Rolling his neck till it cracked, he reached behind him, grabbing the leather satchel and shut the car door. His feet barely carried him as he made his way to the front door, the thought of his big bed, comfy, warm, soft and hopefully with her in it for him to snuggle into invaded his mind. Sleep that's all he wanted, finally a day off tomorrow where he could do nothing but laze around with his family.

Clicking the door open, the smell rolling in from the kitchen made his jaws water, and silently he thanked the gods for this woman. Her cooking was something incredible, and she did it without magic. He loved to watch her, busing herself into a recipe, hair tied back in a pony, a black apron on, wine in one hand while light music played in the background. He could sit there for hours being the guinea pig, tasting whatever she had to offer.

He heard the laughter coming from the kitchen, a little boys bubbling giggles echoed by her husky chuckle. His heart bloomed at the beautiful sound, and the smile parted wide on his tired face as he rounded the corner, finding the love of his life and his young boy immersed together.

Letting their musing leave him unnoticed, he leaned against the archway as Regina moved around Roland, their hands covered in flour, as the dough spread across the counter. A minute or so passed, and the water on the stove began to bubble over.

"Honey, can you grab that?" her voice stunning him out of his dazed bubble. He didn't know she knew he was there. He smirked inwardly as he moved into the kitchen, their eyes locking for a half moment as a light smile spread on her face, gentle arch of her eyebrow followed by a playful wink. It was only then he noticed that while the counter was covered in the white flour, Regina was equally as powered up, a streak across her cheek, dusting on her chest, contrasting against the dark purple blouse she wore.

"DADDY!" Roland squealed his messy hands extended out in greeting. Not fancying getting covered in the dust, he careful kissed the back of his son's head, ruffling the curls.

"Afraid of a little flour, Locksley?" she smirked.

He laughed, turning the stove down. It was the instant he turned around that two white covered hands cupped his face, her lips pressed firmly to his as a light laugh escaped her. She pulled back, blushed and beaming at him as she turned back to their son. With a swipe of his cheek his fingers came back white and he chuckled. Suddenly his tired state evaporated, the warmth in his heart overtaking him. Sliding behind her, their fingers connected in the bowl of half squished tomatoes, his lips finding her cheek.

With the tomato mushed, her backside bumped against his, pushing him back gently as she turned, his fingers lifting to her lips with a wink. Rolling her eyes with a smile, her tongue darted out for a moment, licking off the juices, returning the flirtatious gesture.

An hour later they sat on the couch, full and satisfied, the wine in their glasses dwindling as Roland slept soundly under the blanket on the plush floor.

He pulled her hair behind her shoulder as she settled into his chest, leaving the smooth light olive skin his for the tasting. Hugging around her waist, his lips found the silk, pressing gently adoration along it's length, earning him an appreciative hum. Her nails lightly scratched the back on his hand, her eyes closing letting comfort surround her.

Turning to face him, she couldn't help but smile at the remnant white dusting that clung to his stubble. The smile stuck as he leaned in, capturing her softs lips, the taste of tomato sauce and basil lingering on his tongue that crept along the seam of her lips.

"Dinner was delicious M'lady" his warm voice murmuring against her mouth.

"Mmmmm You're delicious" she drawled out before kissing him once more, both internally deciding that they needed to make dinner together more often, especially with the promise of a late dessert.

 **Fin.**


	7. A First Kiss

**First Kiss:**

The park was filled with laughter, children running, playing and swinging. They sat side by side on the bench, hands laced together as the warm sun beamed down. It was an incredibly beautiful day, and the woman beside him only made it that much more perfect. He watched her now and then, the dazzling smile parted across her ruby lips, eyes so full of light, her long chocolate hair pulled half back, half draping down her shoulders meeting the purple tank top. His heart swelled thinking about how lucky he was to have her, here beside him, watching their youngest.

"You're staring" She smirked, turning to catch his eyes and the light blush that rose on his cheeks as he smiled.

"Can you blame me?" He chuckled back, leaning in to catch her lips quickly.

"Quite the charmer aren't you?" She murmured

Robin squeezed their hands before settling back on the wooden bench, finding Roland off from the crowd of children picking daisy. His eyebrow arched in wonder at what his boy was doing, the look of pure concentration plastered on the little mans face. Nudging Regina, he motioned over to the boy.

"What's he doing?" She commented in question, to which Robin shrugged. Roland had just turned 8, growing before his very eyes everyday. The pair watched silently together as the bunch of flowers grew in his little fist. Finally content with the bouquet Roland ran back to the park and stood at the edge of the slide, his feet shuffling in the ground, the flowers held behind his back as he waited.

"What in the world?" Robin whispered out. His boy looked nervous, shy even, two things that his son never ever was.

A little girl with blonde hair came flying down the blue slide, her pink dress swirling behind her, curls bouncing as she hit the ground with a bubble of giggles. She skipped over to the curly brown haired boy, her rosy chubby cheeks smiling as she stopped in front of him.

"Oh my….. " Regina smiled out at the tiny pair, her heart swelling at the picture of puppy love.

Roland pulled the flowers from behind his back, extending them to the girl with a bright smile. Their fingers touched as she took the daisy from him, smiling brightly as she lifted them to her nose. Robin couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes, his little boy had a crush and it was without a doubt the sweetest thing he'd ever seen.

"A charmer just like his father" Regina laughed, bumping Robin's shoulder, smiling at the jaw dropped expression of her love. He let out a light chuckle, his own smile unable to be contained.

What happened next shocked them, the little girl leaned in, lips pursed in a tight pucker.

"Wha-What?" Robin couldn't find his words as he saw Roland replicated the action, leaning in to the blonde to touch her lips for a half second. His young boy just kissed a girl, his boy‼ He kissed a girl‼ He sat there in complete shock as the little couple parted and ran off to the swings, seemingly unfazed by what they just did, giggling as they tore around the park once more.

Regina's mouth dropped, her heart beating in adoration as the tears brimmed her eyelashes. She couldn't help but laugh though at Robin's expression. His eyes were wide in shock, jaw dropped in astonishment.

"He just kissed a girl" His voice choking through his stunned state as he turned back to Regina utterly bewildered.

With a light shake of her head she smiled "Like I said, a charmer just like his father". She winked in flirtation before catching Robin's lips in a quick kiss, reveling in the warmth they provided. She felt him chuckle against her lips as they pulled apart.

Later that night, Robin was settling Roland down for the night, cuddling his little boy into the bed as they finished the bedtime story. Roland hadn't said anything about the little girl, just went on his merry way about his day, completely unaware at the amused shock of his parents.

Closing the book Robin rustled the mop of brown curls.

"Who was that girl today Roland?"

"What girl papa?"

Robin chuckled internally, "The young girl you gave flowers to"

Roland smiled as he snuggled into the covers "Oh! That's Lizzie, she's real pretty!"

"Aye, that she is…."

The little boy nodded in agreement.

"I also saw you kissed her" Robin trying his best not to laugh in adoration. He knew that he had to talk to his son about this. Young boys just couldn't go around kissing little girls.

Rolands brown button eyes flicked up to his father, filled in concern "Are you mad?"

Shaking his head lightly, Robin gently responded "No, my boy. But you can't just go around kissing girls"

He shuffled to his knees, eyes soft in confirmation "But she's not just any girl papa"

Robin arched his eyebrow in question "Oh?"

"She's my lady!" Roland beamed out

"Your Lady?"

Roland nodded "Yup, just like Gina is your lady!"

Robin's heart bloomed, his little man was going to grow up to be quite an incredible man.

"And you always give Gina flowers and she kisses you" The young tyke continued as he burrowed back down into the comforter. He couldn't help it, it was the sweetest thing he'd heard. Robin smiled at his son, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead before shuffling out of the bed.

"Alright, Good Night Roland"

"Night Papa!"

He switched the lights off and padded down to his room, where his own lady resided. Before hitting the door he noticed the vase of flowers beside the frame, and he smirked, picking them up out from the glass as he pushed the door open. She was resting against the headboard, her glasses sitting low on her nose as she got lost in the novel in her hands.

She truly was stunning, even more so without all the makeup and glamoured outfits. Just Regina…his Regina.

He walked to the side of the bed, a cheeky grin in his face.

Her eyes moved from the pages up to him … his dimpled expression confusing her.

"What's up?"

He pulled the bouquet of stolen flowers from behind his back, extending them to her in the same fashion his son did earlier in the day. She laughed, grabbing them from his hands, a light blush running up her alabaster skin as she smiled at him.

"What are these for?"

He leaned into her, "Cause you're my lady, and a lady deserves flowers", smiling in return as he kissed her softly, loving the quiet moan that resonated from the back of her throat.

Rolling over her body he settled down into the pillows, nuzzling into the side of her.

"Hang on…..you stole these from the hallway!" She scoffed playfully

Kissing the bare shoulder of her skin before pulling her down into his body, her back flush to his chest as he wrapped an arm around her slim waist, he chuckled into the curtain of her hair

"You knew I was a thief when you met me".

 **FIN.**


	8. A Not So Accurate Story

**Prompt: StoryBrooke watches "Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs"**

It started out innocent, nothing really to be concerned or even think about. Night's in the mansion, popcorn nearly devoured, blankets snuggled into, arms wrapped gently around as giggles echoed. Surely the Lion King was harmless, as was Pinocchio, and then Lady and the Tramp. All were non-connecting to her, really. Okay besides Marco and his little wooden boy but Roland didn't know that, nor what actually happened was depicted in the cartoon.

Her nerves were on edge though when the word of their Disney night became talk of the town, and of course it was sickly sweet Mary Margaret that suggested they do a weekly StoryBrooke Drive In movie night.

Great, just great. Now the entire town got to make snark comments, throw arching eyebrows at her. To the begs of Henry and Roland, she sat through Sleeping Beauty, smirking internally at the ridiculous way they portrayed her Dragon. Maleficient wasn't taken down by some magical sword, it was laughable. Then it was Aladdin, but thankfully not many really knew the connection between the Genie and her magic mirror, or the long lost reporter.

Muddling around in the kitchen, the attempt to busy herself with trivial tasks was becoming harder as seven o'clock approached. Brownies had been made, apple turnovers cooled, hell even a pineapple upside down cake was half eaten on her counter. She was running out of recipes to use as an excuse not to go.

She grimaced when the next title was brought up, the towns people chuckling at Leroy's suggestion that they watch Snow White and the 7 Dwarves.

Why? Why bother…she knew it would only end up in more nastiest towards herself. The want to stay at home and just have a quiet night alone was of ut most importance to her now. A simple glass of merlot, a warm fire and her love to curl into. That's what she wanted, and by damn sure she was going to get it.

"MOM!"

She groaned as her teenage boy came ricocheting into the house, the savior and her eye rolling pirate following ten steps behind.

Henry crashed into her, his eyes wide in bewilderment at all the baked goods on the counter.

"What's all this for?" he questioned.

Regina shrugged, "I am just trying new stuff before Christmas that's all"

"Apple Turnovers and Brownies…mom that's hardly new…what's up?"

He knew her to well, his hazel eyes dancing with the smug grin.

"GINA GINA‼‼"

her heart glowed as the bouncing voice of the young merry man flew in. The brown mop of curls running around the island as he threw himself into her waiting arms. She kissed the unruly head of hair, reminding herself they really needed to cut it.

"Hi baby, how are you?" she cooed.

His chocolate button eyes smiled as he nuzzled into her neck. "Gina what are all those?" his chubby fingers pointing at the massive stack of brownies.

"Would you like one?"

"YES‼"

Sitting down on the stools, the brownies were doled out as a pair of bright blue eyes settled into her periphery. It was incredible how just him being near by eased her doubtful heart. Robin moved around the group, grabbing a brownie for himself before leaning in to catch her ruby lips, humming into her mouth.

"You guys ready to go?" Emma called out.

"Gina, can I take a brownie to go?"

She nodded, and the plate near emptied as everyone grabbed a second handful. Roland leapt down from her lap, following Henry, Emma and Hook to grab coats and boots. Regina waited….maybe they could just go and she wouldn't have to…

"Penny for your thoughts?" His warm tone encased her in the same moment his arms wrapped around. Sinking into his embrace, she exhaled heavy "I'm fine"

Robin chuckled "You're a terrible liar"

Removing herself from his arms, she faced back to the sink, grabbing the empty brownie plate, soaking it in an escape for time.

Why, why did they have to insist on this movie. It was aggravating.

"Mom, Robin come on‼" Henry yelled from the foyer.

He could feel her uncertainty, the slump in her shoulders evident of the discomfort that moved inside her.

"Regina?"

"Just go, I'll catch up"

Her tone to short for him to let go.

Snaking his arms back around her torso, he kissed the smooth silk of her skin, peppering the line of her neck before burying his nose into her ebony locks.

"It's gonna be fine" he whispered to which she huffed "easy for you to say, your a fox in your movie, it's laughable anyway"

He grimaced, knowing that she didn't want to be a town spectacle of jokes and crude remarks any longer than she had already suffered.

"GINA‼"

She patted the backs of his hands, shaking her head lightly in dismay.

"You know where we will be sitting when you're ready"

Robin kissed her cheek before letting her go. She smiled, thankful he understood as he exited the kitchen.

"Come on boys!" He roared, scooping Roland up with a giggle.

"What about Gina?"

"She's just gonna finish cleaning up"

She could hear Rolands sad groan but Robin was quick to toss his gently in the air, letting a second bubble of laughter echo out before they headed to the park.

With a click of the door, her house was silent and though she loathed to admit it, she hated it. Filling her mind with nothing she focused back on the dishes, scrubbing them harder than truly need be.

Why was this so hard, it was just a damn cartoon. Who cares….she's changed….it's all for fun right?

Her mind goading her, probing as it found the insecurities.

Wine. That's what she needed a nice glass of wine.

With the cork popped she sat heavy against the couch, exhaling as the half filled glass sat untouched on the table.

Her eyes glanced up, 6:44pm….the movie was at 7….

With an exaggerated huff, her hands carded coarsely through her hair, tugging at the ends in annoyance. Maybe she should just go….

"Daddy‼ It's starting!" Roland chimed pointing out at the old cartoon that glowed huge on the magical screen Emma had erected in the park. It was an incredible turn out….Robin would bet almost the entire town was snuggled in to watch. Almost everyone but the one person he wanted here most. He sighed sadly, maybe he should have stayed home with her…or forced her to come out…he didn't know what would have been better.

The cartoon came to life as the "Evil Queen" entered, the entire town roaring in laughter at the cartoon. Robin had to chuckle along side at the ridiculous grandeur of the Queen. It looked nothing like his Regina. No one could truly match her beauty. It did irk him however the roar of remarks that came from Grumpy as the Evil Queen ordered the heart of Snow White to be cut out

"YUP JUST LIKE REGINA‼" he hollered, to which only half the crowd actually acknowledged to Robin's surprised. The space beside him on the blanket feeling emptier by the minute.

The movie played as the princess sang into the wishing well, David laughing boisterously at the similarity to his wife belting out a tune in the shower. Mary Margaret scoffed, with a heavy eye roll.

Roland snuggled in tight when the princess ran through the haunted forest, the tree's tearing at her clothing as she screamed in terror. Not exactly a children's movie Robin absently thought. He watched though as Mary Margaret waved her hand in dismissal, with a huffed "As if. I was a proper bandit, not some screaming child"

The show continued, the dwarves hooping and hollering as their disney versions sang on the screen. Four out of the seven even standing up to give a live performance of the theatrics. The towns people clapped, whistled and cheered as they danced around animatedly.

The night began to fall as the Evil Queen came back on screen, plotting her revenge with a poisoned apple, turning into an ugly old hag with a cackle.

"This is to good! Where is our mayor to see this!?" Whale boomed out. "She could have taken some pointers!" he laughed viciously.

It was with a dead pan stare from the everyone but Leroy and Mother Superior that shut the obnoxious doctor up. His eyes faltering in slight embarrassment. Robin grimaced, no matter what she did, there would always be some that would refuse to give her a second chance. No matter how many times she had saved their asses, it wasn't enough for them.

"Oh please, you think I'd actually turn myself into that grotesque looking hag? I'm a Queen, and way to vain for that"

The sound of her husky voice made it heart skip a beat as she walked into view with a smirk. The crowd roared in laughter, raising hot cocoa mugs and cheering as she made her way to sit beside her family.

"Gina! You're here!" Roland scrambled up to her, launching himself once more into her arms as she laughed "I wouldn't miss it for the world".

Her eyes met Mary Margaret's who was beaming back. The flush on Regina's skin suddenly hot as apparently all eyes were on her….the exact thing she didn't want. Quickly she moved to Robins' side, settling down with Roland as Robin's arm tugged her close.

His nose brushed her ear, a low murmur whispering gently "I'm glad you're here"

She turned and smiled small, squeezing his hand in reassurance as he pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

Turning back to the screen she groaned internally as she watched her cartoon self poison the princess, the apple rolling on the wooden floor of the dwarves cabin as the old witch cackled and ran.

The storm brewed, lightning striking as the 7 small soldiers chased after the Queen. She felt Roland suddenly back into her, his face hiding as he buried himself into her torso. She hugged him tight, kissing the crown of his head as she watched her portrayed self be fall from the cliff, a enormous boulder apparently crushing the Queen to death.

She scoffed internally, knowing that if that truly had happened, it would have only taken a flick of her wrist to make the rock into a cloud of bubbles. The sniffles from beneath her, shook Regina back into reality.

"Roland, honey whats wrong?"

He clutched her tighter, "I don't like this movie"

Her heart broke at the sadness in his voice "baby, it's just a cartoon. It's not real"

Her eyes were found by water brown ones as he stared up, the tremble in his lower lip sending her mothering instincts into overdrive as she cradled him into her arms, rocking him gently.

"But it was Snow White's movie and you were in it….and you died" he cried.

With a heavy exhale she pulled back, finding his tear filled gaze once more.

"Roland, if that movie was real, I wouldn't be here" she smiled.

His eyebrows knitted together, and she could see the torment still flickering across his cute little face.

With a shoulder, she nudged Robin who sat quietly beside the pair. Her eyes panning over the a large rock beside him. With a knowing look he smiled and picked it up.

He threw it high in the air, and Roland gasped as the a wave of purple magic surrounded it, leaving nothing behind but sparkling dust as it fell.

Thankfully the display seemed to settle him, his eyes wide in wonder as he smiled up at the falling sparkles.

"See" she smirked at him.

He said nothing, just turned back around to see the final moments as Prince Charming woke Snow White from her slumber, the credits rolling as the walked off into the distance.

The crowd clapped as the screen went black.

"Shall we cap tonight off with some Ice Cream at Grannys?" Robins asked, knowing the exact answer that his son would provide.

The diner was packed, as she sat sandwiched into the corner of a booth, Robin's arm curled around her shoulders as Henry and Roland devoured their desserts.

"You know, I think that movie needs to be re-done" Mary Margarets cheery tone floated as the Charming family sat down, Hook in tow.

Regina's eye brows arched but she said nothing, not really wanting to get into their past right now…nor ever again.

" I mean, they made me out to be some desperate, abysmal, man needing princess" She cried out as David and Emma laughed.

"Well you did need a Prince to save you?" David bumped her shoulder.

"Oh please, I would have figured something out" She retorted back.

"From a sleeping curse?" Hook chimed in incredulously.

Mary Margaret said nothing, just rolled her eyes as she focused back on Regina who was avoiding her gaze.

"Okay fine. I needed a Prince…but you know they didn't even show how much of a brat I was as a child" she smiled waiting ….

She couldn't help it, the bubble of laughter that came out at her step-daughters remark. The table erupted into laughter along side the Queen, their true past more involved than any 90 minute children's cartoon could ever reveal.

"And I must say Your Majesty, that ridiculous version of you, does you no justice" Hook chuckled.

"Trust me dear, I know" She bounced back, chuckling as she felt Robin's hand pull her in a fraction tighter to his body as he smiled.

It was true, no one would be quite as stunning as his Queen.

"Just wait, how they make you look is absolutely hilarious" Emma grinned.

"Could they really capture all this devilishly handsomeness into a Cartoon Love?"

Henry couldn't help but laugh at the image "Okay, next week it Peter Pan for sure‼"

The table laughed as Hook scowled.

It was beautiful, the glow in her heart blossoming as she took in her precious family, a sorted past, somewhat dysfunctional at times, but it was hers, and she finally felt at home.

Fin.


	9. Milestones

**PROMPT: Milestones – Love is Love is Love.**

She couldn't stop them, the little water droplets that refused to cease. It was today, after the months and months of build-up it was finally here. A day she never thought she would see, could never fathom happening and yet here it was. His body twitched beside her as the warm glow of sun gliding into the room, gently calling for the day to start. But she hadn't slept at all. Her thoughts ran wild as the sun fell, night grew, the moon rose, only to relinquish it's hold once more to the morning dawn. She never even closed her eyes.

Would everything change after today? Was there going to be some shift in their world once more?

Rolling to her side, he slept soundly, easy breathing, peacefully. The sandy blonde of his hair flickering in the sunbeams, fading into the dark blonde stubble of his jaw. She watched the rise and fall of his chest, strong in it's rhythm. Her palm gently splayed over his heart, feeling the steady beating. Her eyes wandered as they usually did, over his handsome features she loved to caress, to his lips she never could get enough of, down to the thickness of his body, cut and molded to perfection. Her fingers glided lightly along the scars of his torso, reminders of a dangerous past. She wondered as she often did how many times he had come close to losing his life as the Prince of Thieves. How many times had she nearly lost him before ever getting to have him.

Her body moved of it's own accord, nuzzling into his warmth, her hand finding purchase back in the light hair on his chest, a leg draped between his own, her lips pressing into the crook of his neck. It felt safe, he was safe. She felt him stir, his arms encircling her as he hugged her tight, the gentle touch of his lips to her forehead.

"Good Morning" his tone still sleepy as he roused.

She hummed, kissing his collarbone in return before settling her head back down onto his chest. He trailed his fingers up her smooth shoulders, letting her warm honey scent surround him. It was today, it was here and he could have sworn his heart would burst from his chest. Years ago if you asked him to imagine this day he would have laughed it off, never giving it a second thought.

They lay together for minutes not counted, simply happy to have time for each other. It had been a hectic few months with all the planning, but after today things would be different.

The red numbers of the clock spurred him into action.

"It's nearly 9, we should probably start getting ready"

Regina burrowed into him tighter with a mumbled _5 more minutes of this_.

He smiled, pulling her closer if possible, knowing that he would spend the rest of his life just like this, with her.

She was panicking, trying to get the last minute details organized before time ran out from under her. It seemed as though there was always something or rather someone who would come running up with another problem. The headache that begun to pound was growing on her last nerves. The flowers weren't the right shade, tables not delivered, a missing tuxedo, it was piling up, weighing her down as she scrambled.

"Regina?"

She whirled around, annoyance stretched on her face.

"What Snow?"

The princess pushed the flap of the tent back, smiling gently at the disarray of the woman in front of her.

"You need to get ready"

Regina huffed, exasperated to the point tears threatened to fall.

"I can't yet. I still have to fix –"

Her words cut short by the calm resting of Snow's palm on her forearm.

"It's all done, everything is ready, and everyone except you"

"But the flowers –" she began again

"Have been changed, it's the right color this time I promise"

She sighed heavy, sitting down on the white linen chair. The shift in Regina was obvious, a second ago she was panicking and now it was like a tidal wave of uncertainty. Snow sat beside her, interlacing their fingers with a reassuring squeeze.

"Stop worrying, it's going to be wonderful Regina"

Fearful chocolate brown eyes met gentle calm green. It amazed both women how after everything in their past they were here now, together as a family.

"Come on, lets get you dressed and get this show on the road" Snow stood, pulling Regina to her feet in a swift motion. There was no more time, and she knew it. Steeling her emotions, she flicked her wrists, encasing her body in the purple signature smoke.

"You look beautiful" Snow's voice trembled as she wiped stray tear.

The silk gown fell gently around her, hugging her tight in the waist and swaying out at her hips. A drop down diamond necklace rested on her chest above the sweetheart neckline, matching earrings to go. Ebony locks curled around her shoulders, pulled back from her face. Makeup was simple, pale pink lips, and light bronzed smoky eyes. Simple.

The tent burst open as the other women gathered in. Her eyes instinctively finding her. She looked incredible, standing shyly in the lace dress, light blonde curls intricately done up, a few falling to frame the cream skin. She had to force back the tears as the other woman smiled at her, their hands clasping together.

"You ready?"

"After you"

Her heart pounded as the music played, the forest lit up in soft yellow lights, creating a gentle glow as she made her way down the white pathway. She beamed when she saw the fairy in near tears at the alter waiting. She found his eyes, blue as the ocean, an anchor in her world. Tears matching her own as she moved forward. He looked so handsome in his tux, framing his broad shoulders, the power blue tie matching his own perfect eyes.

She stood across from him, as the music continued to play, her heart soaring as he mouthed out a silent _I Love You_ to which she gestured back the same. The melody died and the crowd sat back down. She listened to Tinkerbell laugh about how she never thought she'd see the day, but was overcome with joy that it was happening. She blushed at the mention of her and Robin's names, a knowing look going between the woman before she carried on.

The tears couldn't be held any longer as vows were recited, a promise to love, to cherish, and to stand by one another till death do them part. An exchange of rings, sealing the deal before the crowd cheered as husband and wife locked lips for the first time.

Her long nails drummed on the white linen, the vanilla and raspberry cake left untouched in front of her. The large white canopy tent buzzing with chatter. He sat down beside her, kissing her temple before whispering "everything alright?".

She squeezed his hand and nodded, finding his eyes "I'm just happy".

Robin smiled "as am I".

The tapping of a microphone echoed, Little John clearing his voice before starting the night of MC'ing.

"Well, I think it's about time for the toasts‼"

The crowd cheered as he gestured to their table. They listened as the best man spoke of how proud he was to know the bride and groom. Commenting on the fact he knew that from day one something was going on, even when they tried to hide it from everyone else, the crowd chuckling as he told a memory of walking down the street at 3 am, only to stumble upon the pair lip locked against a brick wall. He shook his head in jest as he poked fun at the fact he always knew he'd lose his best friend to a beautiful girl, after all he was a love sick puppy deep down. Finishing he raised his glass, in toast to the happy couple.

The crowd whistled as they kissed gently.

She trembled a touch as she grabbed her glass, standing carefully with a quiet inhale.

Turning slightly, she found blue eyes smiling up at her with tears.

"Well…." She swallowed hard, hoping that she could at least get through this without crying "To say I am happy would be the biggest lie ever told. It doesn't even begin to describe how I am feeling…" her lower lip trembling "…Rose, you are the brightest ray of sunshine, my world, my little girl who I never thought I'd have a chance to have. You have given me so much, and I could not be more proud of you. You're heart is so pure, filled with love for everyone, I am certain there isn't a person in this room tonight that could say you haven't warmed their heart at one point or another. It's just who you are…." A tear fell as she wiped it away "…Love is incredible. It sets your heart on fire, it warms even the coldest of nights, it's the anchor to everything in this world. You are my love, one of my most cherished loves…" her voice quivering as she smiled, unable to keep the tears from falling freely now "…I am so thankful to have you, so thankful to be your mother, it's the greatest blessing in the whole world"

She cleared her voice, exhaling heavy as she continued "For a mother, it's the one wish we all have, for our children to be happy. We cry over you, we break for you, we do our best to protect you from everything in the hopes that maybe we will succeed. I know that the two of you will be happy, you can see it when you look at each other. That spark that ignites in your eyes. I am thankful to have found that myself…" she winked at her soulmate who beams back "…and there isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't make me happy. The only advice I guess I can pass on is to remember that. Remember this moment and how truly happy you are. Life isn't always fair or easy, but if you have each other you can fight through anything. So, to wrap up…" her fingers curl around the champagne glass, holding it high "Here's to being happy, here's to the two of you, I love you"

"….and Matthew….." her eyebrow arched high as her expression dead pans, staring bluntly at the young groom. The room grows silent as they wait. Regina breathes out heavy, playing her most villainous mask for a moment as she watches the man's eyes widen.

"Welcome to the family" she smiles.

The room cheers as they hold their glasses up in gesture, the beautiful young bride embracing her mother in a fierce hug.

"I love you mom"

"I love you to, Rose"


	10. Just This One Time

Just this one time

It's a never ending mantra that lingers in her mind…. _just this one time_ …. for one night she will let it happen, let the world wait just this one time. Her eyes catch the last bits of dancing flame of the dying candles, the room slowly but surely sinking into dark. The breath barely moves in her lungs as she stares up at the ceiling, debating whether or not she should move from this bliss, but then again maybe just this once she won't. Her lips feel swollen, her skin still tingling, her hair splayed out like an ink blot on the white silk pillow. In body she feels wonderful, but in her mind and heart there is torment. What happens tomorrow, or the next day or the day after that. Most likely she will distract herself other things, burying this burning in her soul. Yet, maybe just this one time it can flame, just for another minute she will revel in it.

A slight shiver runs up her spine so she tugs the light sheet over her body. A heavy sleepy breath ghosts against her cheek and she can't help the light smile that pulls at her lips. A warm palm moves to settle on her bare stomach. Her eyes turn to him, peaceful in his slumber, void of that pained expression he wore a few hours earlier. It didn't seem real, his lips crashing into hers, the desperation in his hands as he gripped the base of her neck. Her body responded on it's own, and just this one time she forgot the hesitating fear in her mind. Time stood still, for a moment, for those incredible few hours nothing else mattered.

Her gaze flickers around his face, if this is it, she want's to absorb every part of him. From his sandy brown hair that is tousled, to the slope of his nose, cut of his jaw hidden by the coarse stubble, the pink softness of his lips. Her fingers itch to touch him, just to feel his smooth skin one more time before it's all over.

Gently so not to rouse him she turns onto her hip, his palms falling easily into the dip of her back, settling lightly on the dimples at the base of her spine. She hears his light hum as he sinks deeper into the mattress. That flame deep down burns hot now, being this close to him, just this one time it can flourish.

What could it have been, if she found him earlier, if this circumstance was different. Would they be happy; of that she has no doubt. Where would they have been right now, if the past was changed? Maybe they would be in the Enchanted Forest, tucked away in a cabin together, living their days with children's laughter filling the forest. What would they have looked like? The image of a little Robin dances through her mind, blonde, blue eyed, taking after his father as they shot apples off a tree stump with matching bows. A little girl, with curly brown locks, picking flowers in a sundress. She's certain they would both have his dimples.

A tear escapes her eyes before she can tamp the emotion down. It's not fair to her heart to think of a future that wouldn't come to pass, but then again, just this one time she will create it; a life with her soulmate.

She has to move, pull back, give some space between them, fully knowing if she lets herself fall any further it will be to hard to let him leave again. He seems to have another idea though and as she starts to quietly shuffle away, turning her back to him, he fills that distance. Moving to tug her close, pulling her flush to his warm chest, his fingers findings hers, interlacing them over her chest. For a second she wonders if he is awake, the way his nose buries into her hair, but he exhales deep, cradling her a fraction tighter before settling back into his sleep once more.

This can't happen, she already knows she loves him, but nothing will come of it. She should move, but maybe just this one time …. for the last few precious hours she can savor being with him.

Her eyes flutter closed, and she moves, closer to him, after all, it's only just this one time.


	11. Crown Royal

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out …. over and over, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Focus on anything but him, focus on something not so irritating. He's not irritating, that's what irritating. Close your eyes instead, just let the wind circling around lightly, the chill is nice, makes the air crisp. Fingers fiddle with the hem of the dress, a velvet deep ocean blue, his eyes are ocean blue. _No don't think about him_. Focus, find the stars, tiny diamonds, beautiful and mysterious, being stolen by the morning sun … stolen, the sun is a thief, _no stop, don't do that_.

Shuffling on the grass, soft beneath honey light finger tips. This will work, the smooth blades being gripped between palms. Pull out some strands, cross over, pull under, blades become braids, locking together, interlacing perfectly like joined hands, _dammit stop it now!_

A breath is huffed, this isn't working, apparently being alone outside was the worst idea, it's nature, he is nature, inviting yet unnerving, beautiful but scarred. For a moment, a minute, an hour, reprieve from his gentle irksome smirk needs to happen. The image in her mind needs to not be on the broad expanse of his chest, thick circumference of his biceps, the smooth yet calloused surface of his hands. What would it be like to touch them, have them wrapped around her waist, have that nauseating forest smell fill her entirely.

Groaning into the night, silently filtering through options to help clear her head. A small tug of ruby lips, _wine_ , sweet sinful red wine would be perfect…. maybe not strong enough…. But that surely will be. Purple magic swirls, the intricate glass jar filled with sensual amber liquid appears. She chuckles to herself, how ironic it is now to be drinking this particular brand. The purple accents of the label match her magic, the crown on the front seemingly mocking her.

The first few sips go down with a slight burn, but the warmth spread it hot through her stomach, settling the fluttering of nerves down finally. This will work.

The buzz begins to swirl, a comforting friend massaging away the insecurities deep down when their eyes meet across the council table, there is something inside those cobalt blues that sends a tremor through her heart, and even as she composes and glares back, he doesn't move, doesn't flinch, just smiles small until she is the one to look away.

It's just physical, this tug and flame that won't burn out. No one would deny that he is handsome, so it's not like she is the only one whose noticed. But their comments all surround the color of his eyes, the perfect smile, or the build of his body. They don't see that his eyes aren't actually blue, they have this strange teal quality, flecked with greens and golds. They don't see his perfect smile, creates heart melting dimples in his cheeks beneath the golden stubble, nor do they see the one tooth, 3 to the right of the middle that is actually chipped. And his body, oh his body ….. well that's where the annoying incessant physical attraction stems from.

Her mind begins to wander through the amber rye haze, a memory that is burned till the day she dies. They were just chopping wood, nothing out of the ordinary, that group of rowdy men and his laughter echoed amongst all of them. She watched from the edge of a low balcony, leaning against the heavy iron cladding, absently finding him with each roll of her eyes. It was hot, the sun burning in the sky. She could see the darkening of the white undershirt at the base of his spine, and around his shoulder blades. With every swing of the the axe, his muscles tensed, and she found herself subconsciously swallowing a touch heavier against the new found dryness in her mouth. It's like he knew, knew she was there, knew she was watching him, knew what he was doing to her. Her hands tensed on the railing, a breathless _dear god_ ran through her mind as the bronzed bare skin came into view, the sweat ridden shirt discarded on the side.

 _I thought drinking was supposed to take your mind off him, not let it dance freely_

She growls, clenching the cool bottle in her hands, why why why, why won't he leave her alone, why must he be everywhere she is, always lingering, always finding her.

And as though the gods want to mock her torment right now, she hears him, the quiet familiar approach. If her heart skips a beat she ignores it. He doesn't say anything as his body slides down to the grass beside hers, leaning against the bench with a heavy exhale.

Breathe in, breathe out, inhale, exhale... ignore his eyes, look at the stars instead, don't you dare turn your head, say nothing. She turns, slightly, annoyed that she apparently has no control when it comes to this man. And it is a mistake, not listening, because the moment she finds his eyes, she is drowning, without a lifeline, sinking hard into the depths of them.

"Can I help you with something?" her scowl directed at herself fro breaking another rule, but he doesn't know that.

He shrugs, the sideways grin tugging his pale pink lips slightly upward "I was just looking for you that all"

Swallow hard, push it down…. "I wasn't aware I needed a babysitter" …. That's better, battle back, get sharp, he won't stay.

His eyes flicker down to the bottle, and a rumbling chuckle parts through,

 _god that laugh…_

He bites down on his lower lip, through the playful smirk, "Drinking alone? Maybe that does qualify the need for a partner"

A dark eyebrow arches "I didn't say partner, I said babysitter"

"I prefer partner"

He stares heavy at her now, a slight shift in his body closer, his forest scent perfuming the air. He is warm, she can feel it, the thrumming of his heart nearly palpable from his proximity. She wonders if he can sense hers as well, the thundering racing of it, contrasting starkly against the solid calm steady beats of his own. She is not some love sick puppy, she is the Queen, but dammit she can't help the shallow breaths that now pull into her lungs, the overpowering itch to touch the spot on his chest where his tunic has unbuttoned.

He waits and she roams his body with her gaze for a moment or two. The glass bottle moves apparently on it's own, her hand guiding it without permission to him. Fingers brush, and she shivers for a half second. He frowns, curiously twirling the bottle in hand, reading the label before that damn warm chuckle escapes him once more.

"Crown Royal?"

Her eyes roll, of course he would see that, "It's just a brand"

His shoulder bumps into her in play "I would venture, that only **_you_** have this particular brand, _Your Majesty_ "

She grins, partially anyway, "Royalty does come with some perks"

She see's his smile from the corner of her eyes, beaming at the uncovering of the Queen's new sense of humor.

"It's rye"

His eyes crease…. "I have never tried it before actually"

It's her turn to be surprised, surely an outlaw would have been a master in liquors, isn't that what they do anyway, steal from the rich, give to the poor and drink all day through and through.

Her silent question apparently not to silent in her expression, or at least to him it's not, he can read her like no one before, a simple change in her eyes and he knows what she is thinking. That is irritating. Comfortably irritating.

"After my son was born I decided I would only drink during occasions of true celebration, and when I did, it would only be ale so I didn't get completely buggered. I always wanted to have some clarity if Roland needed me"

That's not fair, how dare he be that kind of attentive doting father…. And how dare he tell her that, as if to throw it in her face (it's not what he is doing, she is well aware)…. The pounding glow in her heart threatening to burst at his words. She melted every time she saw that little dimpled mop of brown hair.

Steal the quelling emotion, push it back, tamp it down.

"You've never tried Rye?...Well there's always a first for everything I suppose"

Eyes dance in his direction, a goading as slender fingers tip the bottom on the glass up.

He smiles, placing the tip at his mouth, letting the amber liquid swing forward. His eyes close, drinking deeply, adams' apple bobbing gently as he swallows thick. A trail of golden liquor runs from the corner of his mouth, don't lick it off…don't you dare lean in….

He must know, the glint in his eyes giving away the desire. Hesitation hits, a shiver runs deep following the ache in her core. Could she do it, this one time, let the world fall away just to taste him.

No it can't, he most certainly doesn't feel the same way, does he? His eyes tell a different story, the brush of his shoulder, lean on his body, touch of his fingers against hers once more. It's physical nothing else.

Time passes, the bottle moving between, the buzzing of brains rolling through. He jokes, she chuckles, he moves closer, she does to. It's unknown when his arm drapes around her, twirling the long chocolate between his fingers. She settles into the crook of his shoulder, sighing heavy, letting his warmth surround. The moon rises high, basking the grove in white light.

His gaze glues to her profile, drinking in the thick lashes that cast a shadow on velvet smooth cheeks, the parting of red lips, all to baiting for him to resist. His forehead leans into her temple, basking in the honey apple scent.

She presses into the nuzzling on his nose, the ghost of his lips against her hair.

"M'lady?"

She turns, finding his penetrating gaze, thick with lust and the lingering drunk state of the rye that has now been finished.

"You're Drunk" she chuckles, moving a fraction more so his palms can lay against her stomach, clutching and unclutching the velvet material. The thief smirks, "And you're sexy".

Her heart stops, the tone of his statement so different from any. She knows her allure, the way the dresses cling in all the right places, knows the way men gawk as she passes by. But there is something in his voice, a new found honesty, it's nerve wracking yet at the same time beautiful.

"What?" the question more breathless than she would have liked.

"I thought we were just stating the obvious". His fingers catch her chin, cradling it with unbearable gentility as he pulls her to face him.

Maybe it's the alcohol, maybe its something else, but in the morning she can blame it on intoxication as her lips find his, soft in uncertainty at first, and yet this beating of her heart tells a different story.

She smiles into his kiss, rye was definitely the right decision.


	12. Mom's know best

Feb 23: Mother Knows Best –

10:52pm and she still wasn't home yet, the sky black as stars danced behind the grey scale clouds. The hard wood floor was being threatened of setting on fire with his never ceasing pacing. Fingers tapped lightly on the glass table, a forgotten red mulled wine sat half drank. The number on her phone ready to dial for the nth time, as the minutes continued to tick by. The lights were dimmed, a fire lighting the room instead, she sat curled in a blanket on the sofa, picking the cuticles of her nails, avoiding the nerves that were growing.

The clock chimed and he huffed out in desperation, finding her eyes in question of what to do next. She shook her head, standing up slowly as he walked over to the closet, grabbing her jacket in the process. Her hand pressed against his chest, eyes flickering up to the top floor where their other two children slept soundly. He groaned, wanting to go with, but the defiance in her eyes held in to the spot.

With a gentle kiss to his lips, she pulled the black pea-coat on, leaving her other half not convinced but willing to comply standing in the foyer. It was chilled, snow sparkling on the sidewalks, falling in tendrils on the trees, giving the dark night a diamond sheen. Pulling her coat tighter, she made the distance to the diner, but found the lights off. A twinge of panic rose, if they weren't here, where were they? Her heels clicked quickly on the walkways, winding through down, the bubble of fear growing with each closed establishment she checked.

Pulling the phone from her pocket, his number was ready to go. For a second her hands shook, the what if's beginning to run through her mind in tidal waves. What if….What if….What if….

She hated the "What if's" scenario's, shaking her head with a heavy exhale the phone fell back into the wool pocket. It was 11:38 by this time, an hour and a half to late. Chewing her lower lip she scanned through places she hadn't looked yet.

The tree's were thick and dark, snow crunching under her boots as the clearing came into view. Her heart walked a tight line between breaking and glowing. The lightness of her hair, a beacon in the dark night. Soft brown, long, highlighted in natural blondes, just like her fathers, hung in gentle curls around her shoulders.

A ripple of anger ran through her body as she drew closer to her daughter. She has a phone, she could have called, rather than make her parents sit in worry. Clearing her throat to announce her presence she had the punishment ready to roll of her tongue but it was choked back when bright blue eyes found hers, filled in puddles of tears, salty stains on creamy rose skin.

The young girl, turned back, breaking the eye contact with her mother, a shuddering breath escaping. Her mother sat beside her, shoulders brushing together as fat droplets began to fall once more. Leather gloved fingers laced with her own, squeezing gently, a soft kiss pressed into her temple.

"Are you mad?" her voice shaky

She sighed, memories of her own youth trickling in. The fear of her mother, the inability to escape the terror, the desperation to break out of the over bearing prison. She swore she wouldn't be that kind of mother.

"No" she replied back.

Her daughters eyes went wide at her response, astonished that she wasn't about to get grounded for life. She smiled with a chuckle "though I can't say the same about your father", her eyebrow raised in a knowing look.

The girls eyes fell to the snow, shuffling her feet anxiously. Silence draped around the pair as light flakes began to fall from the sky. She waited, understanding the need for space, the need to just have comfort without an explanation being forced. Her fingers twirled a light brown curl absently as her eyes roamed the girls face. She was growing up so fast, the chubby pink cheeks gone, leaving behind soft cheekbones instead. The toothy chocolate smeared grin of a toddler replaced by full pale pink lips, usually painted heavy in dark reds.

"You were right" the girl whispered, a light huff at the end of her voice cracking.

She said nothing, just hugged around her daughters shoulders, resting her chin on the crown of her head.

"He was such a jerk, he basically ignored me the entire night, playing on his phone instead…." Regina hummed to herself, _dumb boy_ ….

"….And then when we left he tried to kiss me and I pushed him off, he called me a bitch and walked back into Granny's without another word"

Her blood boiled at that… How dare he! If that little rat thinks he could actually get away with it, he had another thing coming. She pressed a kiss to the soft brown curls, breathing deeply to keep her magic at bay .. for now at least.

"That's not even the worse part…." The heart broken teen continued, holding onto her mothers hands as a lifeline. "I…I went back…" Regina's eyes creased in confusion, but she didn't dare interrupt right now.

"I really liked him…at least I thought I did. So I went back, and was gonna say sorry and maybe kiss him and hope that he would be okay and would take me to the Christmas dance…" she sniffed as a stray tear fell from her sky blue eyes "….but when I walked in, he was kissing Anna…"

The anger that was rolling through her went cold, her heart cracking in anguish for her daughter. A first heartbreak was never easy, she knew that all to well. She felt her daughter sag heavy into her chest as the tears began to flow free once more.

"I really liked him, mom"

Gently she rocked them back and forth, thinking of that little prick's smug grin, the arrogant strut, overly boistrous nature of his unneeded comments, snark and cutting. From the moment she voiced her opinion, her daughters stubborn nature only grew stronger in defiance. They argued, over this idiot. She wanted to ban her daughter from seeing the boy, but the flashes of Daniel held her back. She would not be her mother.

But as her daughter cried, she wondered if maybe she should have done something to protect her from this pain.

"I should have listened to you, I'm sorry"

Pulling back, a strange realization came over her, maybe it wasn't about protecting her from the trials of life, hard as they may be, but maybe it was about being there to walk beside during those moment. If she could just be there, support, be a leaning post, a rock, a shoulder to cry on.

"I'm sorry too honey, he's an idiot"

The girl sniffed with a shake of her head.

"Can you turn him into a toad or something please"

Regina chuckled, kissing the soft skin on her daughters forehead. "Come on, your father is probably having a stroke right now".

The walk home was quiet, comfortable as their hands swung gently together between their bodies, still laced together. The door cracked open, and the teen ran up the stairs, avoiding the prying look from her father who sat in the living room. Their eyes met as she pulled her coat off, his eyes wide in question and annoyance.

Her arms wrapped around his waist, laying her head against his chest. Though she knew he had about a thousand questions, his arms cradled her back as he kissed her forehead, breathing in the light apple lavender scent of her silky chocolate hair.

"Lets go to bed" she locked their hands together, and made way up the stairs. She snuggled into his warmth as he pulled the heavy duvet over their intertwined bodies. Rubbing his hands up and down her back gently he waited for an explanation.

She listened to the rythmic beating of his steady heart.

"I'm never letting her go on another date again" He breathed out, silently understanding that his daughter was most likely dealing with her first heart-break at the hands of that schmuk.

She smiled, kissing the bare skin of his chest, humming in response.

"As the sheriff, am I allowed to throttle the kid. I mean no one would exactly arrest me" He chuckled, but the hint of seriousness lingered in his tone.

She climbed up his body a touch, till they were resting nose to nose, lips brushing softly as she smiled deviously.

"I took care of it already" she winked.

"What did you do?" he smiled back in curiosity.

She shrugged, settling back down onto his chest, "I hope he likes purple" she commented absent-mindedly.

"Regina?"

A reply never came, just the heavy exhaling her sleep taking her over.

"Oh My God, Mom‼! I can't believe you did that‼" Henry choked out between sobbing laughter "You saw him too right Ro?". The other young man howled, his spaghetti filled fork dropping onto his plate as his fists slammed into the table in desperate attempt to gain some control. She sat silent, but a small smile on her lips as her family retold the story over and over, laugher harder each time. Finishing her red wine, she stood to clear plates walking them over to the sink.

A pair of arms wrapped around her body, hugging her from behind.

"Thanks Mom".

She turned slightly, seeing her daughter beaming from the embrace.

"I didn't do anything" She smirked with a wink.

"SHE DENIES IT‼!" Roland cackled, roaring along side Robin and Henry at the table.

She tried to hide her own chuckle, biting down on her lower lip as she focused on the dishes.

"I doubt Emma or Rumple would have turned the idiot into a grape‼ Admit it Mom, that was all you!" Henry accused through his howling.

She turned, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I will admit to no such thing"

The smile parted through her stoned expression.

Her family roared back into laughter, high-fiving their sister who beamed.

Maybe she couldn't protect her from the pains of life, but she would be damn sure she would always be there to help, even if it was just turning some stupid boys skin purple…. maybe next time she would make it hot pink.


	13. Daddy's Little Girl

Feb 22 – Daddy's Little Girl

His fingers getnly strummed happily against the guitar, the tune ringing out softly as his foot tapped on the ground. The melody rolled and waved as he hummed along. She leaned against the kitchen archway, taking him in, heart glowing as she admires him. His light blonde hair has the etchings of grey around the temples, there are a few extra laugh lines on his sweet face. It had been nearly 16 years together, 16 years of ups and downs, a few ruthless fights, a villain here and there, but at the end, there was more love than the day before.

The song ended as she made her way over to him, their eyes meeting with a light smile as she settled close. He kissed her cheek before turning back to play another song. She gripped his hand lightly, stopping his strum. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"We need to talk"

That was never good….what had he done now…. He settled the guitar beside him, and laced their fingers together. The look of concern in his eyes, tugged at her heart strings.

"It's nothing bad, we just have to talk about Rose"

Robin frowned "What about her? Did something happen?"

Regina sighed, "Honey I love you, but….you are wrapped around that girls' finger and it's starting to get out of hand"

He scoffed, he was not _wrapped around her finger….._ "I am not"

Regina chuckled, patting his stubbled cheek "Oh really?"…. smirking she kissed him softly "I am not sure I have ever heard the word _"no"_ come out of your mouth with her"

"That's simply not true"

"Robin, how many times have you painted her room this year alone?"

His eyebrows knitted together "Twice?"

"Three times"

"No way!"

She laughed and leaned against the sofa back "First it was pink, but that was too girly, then it was green but that was too similar to Rolands room…what color is her room now?"

He groaned, realizing she was right "Lavender…."

Regina hummed with a smile.

"So, thats just painting, it's no big deal" he scoffed back.

"And when she was ten and wanted a new bike because Bella had a prettier one…."

He groaned

"The new bow you made for her a month after she broke the fourth one?...the puppy that now roams my house with muddy paws…?

"Hey! You like Charlie!"

As if on cue the chocolate lab came padding into the room, with a ball in tow. His tail wagging as he dropped into Regina's lap, sobberly as can be. She flicked it with her finger, detesting the goopiness.

Robin laughed "See, you even play with him"

She chuckled, but turned back.

"Honey I'm serious. I know she's your little girl, but this camping trip that's coming up. I just don't think she is old enough to go without parents around and we both know that if I say no, she will just come running to you"

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. He loved his daughter beyond measure, as he did with all of his children, but in truth he knew that he maybe gave in to often.

"You spoil her"

"I don't spoil, I simply dote"

Rolling her eyes "it's the same thing. She will never grow up learning that sometimes you don't get to have everything just because your daddy is a push over"

They sat quietly together, her thumb rubbing gently over the back of his palm.

"Alright, so maybe I do give in….but she just…"

"It's the puppy eyes, I know. Roland has the same"

He chuckled "You do have to admit that both Roland and Henry are complete Mama's Boys though"

She smiled, "True…. But –"

Her retort was cut off by the stampeding of footsteps down the stairs. Roland thundering into view.

"Hey Dad! Hi Mom!"

"Hi sweetheart" she replied.

"Hey dad, can I take your truck?"

Robin's eyebrows raised "What for son?"

Roland shoved his hands in his pockets, his broad shoulders wide set, thick curly brown hair that needed to be trimmed. "Well me and the boys wanted to go off roading, and your truck has awesome suspension with the jacked up upgrade you got done"

Regina turned to Robin, waiting for his reply.

"Roland, you have a truck…"

"Yeah but, it's old! Your's is brand new! It's so much better"

"Exactly, it's brand new. I don't fancy having to repair it before I need to"

The teen groaned "Dad please!"

Robin shook his head, "I'm sorry Ro, maybe in a few years once it's had some miles properly put on it"

Groaning Roland slumped away, grabbing his keys and heading out the back door with a huffed good-bye.

Turning back to Regina, he grimaced "See I can say no…."

Regina sighed, rolling her eyes once more before standing up. "i'm gonna make some lunch, can I get you something?"

"Whatever you make will be great, thank you"

He sat back on the couch, wondering if maybe she was right, maybe he was a push over…his thoughts were broken by the jingling of jewelery as his baby girl came view. She was truly beautiful, bright blue eyes, long sandy brown blonde curls bouncing. Her face was soft, sweet in it's rosy complexion, a few pale freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. He smiled as she bounced over to him.

"Hi Daddy!" she leaned in, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hello my girl"

"Are you playing? Will you play Hallelujah? Please Daddy!" She curled into his side. Well he couldn't exactly say no to such an easy request as his fingers began to strum. Her soft voice singing along. Regina listened from the kitchen, smiling as she finished making lunch for her and Robin.

"Hey Daddy….." she heard the teen question in that tone she knew meant she wanted something.

"Yes my girl"

"Can I take your truck to school today?"

Regina waited to see if Robin would cave once more, just after he told his son no.

"Is something wrong with your car?"

"No, but it rained so heavy and the roads are really muddy and I don't want it to get dirty what with it being white, plus I just got it cleaned!"

Regina laughed at the ridiculous request.

"Well…." Robin started to reply as Regina walked to the doorway.

"I suppose, but only this once. And don't tell your mother, she'll have my head"

Regina watched as the girl threw her arms around her father, smacking a kiss to his cheek as she giggled out a thank you.

"For you my girl….."

"Almost anything!"

Robin smiled and kissed her forehead "Almost anything"

The blonde ran out the front door, keys in clutch.

Robin grabbed his guitar once more and was about to strum out another tune as Regina walked in, plates in hand as she settled them on the table. Leaning over his body she cupped his cheeks, kissing him with a smile.

"Robin of Locksley, you are hopeless"

He chuckled

Maybe he was.

But that was his little girl.


	14. Queen's Don't Drive Mini Vans

Regina is devastated, in a sort of childish pouting way. She loved that Mercedes, it had been her small tool of freedom for the first time. Granted she had to learn to drive without any help, but she had done it, her and that beautiful, sleek black car. But like all things, life happens. Suddenly having only two seats for a family of 5 just wasn't going to cut it. Granted Robin was usually more than happy to walk, she still had two small children and Henry to cart around. And thus here she is standing, staring at her empty driveway, arms crossed on her chest as she waited.

They had talked about it, and even though she understood his point, it was actually her point in the beginning but now she was sort of regretting it. Henry was all over it, begging her to teach him to drive. Robin throwing in the fact they could all take a weekend trip together somewhere. Valid points but she still was heart broken over the fact she was losing her baby.

She tried to stand firm on the fact she would not be driving a "mom van". That was explicitly out of the question. Robin didn't understand that one though, all the minivans they looked at seemed great, well equipped, tons of seating, easy access. She groaned, moped all the way home when they had finally and on her part very reluctantly gave in.

Rolling her eyes over the fact she was going to be driving a van….a bloody van. She sagged into the white column closing her eyes letting the summer breeze float her hair around. The sound of a car pulling in roused her, though she kept her eyes shut. A van, she was was a Queen, and surely they don't drive vans….

She heard Robin jog up to her, with a laugh. Opening her eyes finally she melted at the beaming grin on his face.

"Close your eyes"

"Robin, please. I know what the van looks like" she drawled out.

"I have a surprise for you"

He chuckled, stepping into her space, blocking her view once more. Cocking a dark eyebrow she smirked with a roll of her eyes, closing them once more. She felt him shift around her, his hands resting on her hips as he guided her forward. Henry was shushing Roland who was giddily calling for her.

Something was up…..

"Okay, you ready?"

"Bring on the van life" She groaned as his palm lifted over her eyes.

She stood shocked, her jaw falling open and cracking into a smile.

It was magnificent, so sexy, so luxurious.

"Well?" Robin kissed her cheek before parading around the Mercedes SUV. With a breathless laugh she walked up to the vehicle, her fingers running smoothly along the black paint, chrome grill, slanted glaring headlights.

"I'm shocked to say the least. I thought we decided on that Van?"

Robin smiled, grabbing her hand and opening the driver door. She groaned in pleasure at the leather interior, matching black with white pin striping. It had everything and more, navigation, heated seats, room for 6….it was absolutely incredible.

"My Queen shouldn't drive some doubty van" He leaned in, kissing the smile on her lips.

"Well I could get used to this I suppose" she gleamed back, stroking the leather cladded steering wheel.

"Mom! We have another surprise for you!" Henry bounded into the back seat.

"Another one?" She balked.

Robin tugged her from the SUV, and she was rendered speechless when she saw the savior pull up in none other than her beautiful small Mercedes.

"Wait what?" She turned to Robin.

"I know you loved that car, and I couldn't stand to see that pouty look on your face for another day"

"I don't pout!"

Walking over she couldn't suppress the smile.

"So do you like your surprise?"

She didn't say anything, just pulled her thief in tight, sealing her approval with the background uproar from her boys.

Queens definitely don't drive Mini Vans.


	15. The Town-Line

**_Tumblr Prompt: I have a surprise for you - hope you enjoy it and keep those prompts coming!_**

 _I have a surprise for you_

That's all it said, 6 words that were making her incredibly nervous. She wasn't a big fan of them. They were usually a terrible idea, made her feel vulnerable and exposed. She flicked her gaze to the clock, only an hour to go. She huffed a breath, pushing the fallen locks of hair out from her eyes. Her heels clicked on the floor, tapping out the anxiety. She jumped when her phone buzzed on the desk.

 ** _I'll pick you up at 7_**

The smile was half hearted as she chewed her lower lip. This was ridiculous, it was just Robin. Nothing bad was going to happen. Sitting back down, the minutes ticked by a little to quickly and before she knew it the door to her office clicked open.

The grin on his face made her heart smile.

"Hello my love. You ready for your surprise?" He leaned over to desk, catching her lips gently as she sighed into his mouth.

"Everything alright?"

Regina nodded, dropping his gaze as she tucked her hair behind her ears as she stood up, grabbing her coat without a word. He watched her avoid him, the grimace on her face tugged at his heart.

"Regina?"

"I'm fine. Ready?" Her hand extended out to him with a small smile.

She said barely two words the entire drive, locking her eyes to the tree's and they flew by. Robin squeezed her hand "Something is bothering you, what is it?" His tone filled with concern.

She sighed, fiddling with her coat belt "I just have never been one for surprises. I'm sorry" her voice faltering.

"Why is that?"

Regina shook her head, not really wanting to get into it. To many times _surprises_ had been unsuspecting visitors looking to take her son away, the showing up of her mother tearing another part of her soul out, or finding out her soulmate's wife was actually her wretched sister, destroying everything she could….so no, surprises were not a welcome thing in Regina's life.

Her heart started to beat frantically as the town line approached, she hated this place, had done everything in her power to never come back since the day Robin had left.

"Why are we here?" Her tone a bit sharper than intended.

The car rolled to a stop, Robin turning to Regina, kissing her knuckles with a reassuring smile "Do you trust me?"

She nodded through the knit brows and flooding nerves.

They walked down the road, hands interlaced and she desperately hoped he couldn't feel her trembling, nor the sweat that was beginning to slick her palms.

The orange line glared into view as Robin slowed them to a stop.

"Robin, please can we just go home?" She blinked back the fearful tears as he faced her. Gently he cupped her cheek, turning her just to find her eyes. His heart clenched at the pain that etched into those whiskey eyes he so cherished. This wasn't supposed to make her sad…but evidently maybe he hadn't thought the entire thing through…

It could happen another day he supposes, though he did truly think this was going to be the perfect spot to restart, put it all behind them, and move forward together finally. But he can see it in her posture, the slouch of her shoulders, frown lines in her forehead, tremble of her hands, this is not where she wants to be.

"Okay, lets go home" he smiles, takes her hand is half wants to laugh and half feels like crying over how quickly she pulls him away from the line. The car ride home is silent, until her palm finds his forearm, squeezing the tattoo underneath the dark green waffle shirt.

"I'm sorry I ruined your surprise" her voice cracks "It's just every time I see that line all I see is you leaving". She swallows hard, stealing the emotional bubble that is pressing hard in her chest. It's silly, or so she is starting to think. They made it, they are here, together.

They come to a stop in the driveway, making their way quietly up the porch before Regina is suddenly swung around by her hips, her lips caught by the soft press of his. His palms thread through her hair as he steps into the space, leaning her body into the door frame. She sighs, gripping the lapels of his coat, breathing in the warmth and solitude he pours out.

Parting with a smile, Robin lands two quick pecks on her cheek, before clicking the door open. It's quiet, both boys out at the Charmings', he'd planned it that way, wanted to have just a few hours for just them after he asked her, but then again, this will be wonderful too, just to have her here with him regardless.

The settle in, blankets drawn as Regina leans into his chest, tugging at this arms to wrap around her waist, he chuckles as she buries herself into him, sighing contently as the fire flickers beside them. She falls asleep within in the hour, and Robin carries her quietly up to bed, this isn't exactly how he thought this night was going to go, but as Regina hummed into the pillow, tucking the thick blanket under her chin, he couldn't help but smile, the Queen was a complete blanket hog, even if she denied it.

He settles in beside her, snuggling tight to her warmth, letting sleep over take him, there are always other days, other spots, other moments.

Regina stirs, groggily as she searches for her glass of water on the bed side table, groaning to find it completely empty. Her bare feet hit the cool wooden floor, heading to the bathroom for a refill. She notices the dark green jacket on the chair, and rolls her eyes at the fact that no matter how many times she asks him to hang it up, it always ends up on her vanity chair.

It's soft under her finger tips, thick in it's forest smell as she inhales deep, curling the coat into her chest. Her hands bump something hard in the pocket, and her heart stops when she pulls out a small black velvet box. The diamond is stunning, square cut, sparkling in the flickering of moon light. Realization hits her, he wanted to propose today, wanted them to go back to where it all fell apart and start over….and her fear ruined it all.

The warmth of tears fell on her cheeks and she put the ring back into his pocket, settling the jacket back on the chair before crawling into bed, searching him out and hugging him tight into her body. She would fix this.

The next morning, she waited, trying to breathe in enough oxygen to keep her from passing out. Wringing her hands nervously together she stared at the line, her memories floating in to the last lingering feeling of his fingers tips against hers as he disappeared. It was almost as if on cue, the slip of his hand in her memory was replaced by the solid real warmth of a palm on her back. She turned slowly, finding his worried eyes casting around her face. The blonde stubble scratched softly under her palms as she smiled, wondering how she had ever been this lucky to have a second chance with him, a third chance really.

"Regina, love, are you alright?"

"I'm ready for my surprise"

Her heart glowed as the smile broke across his face. This was the perfect spot.


	16. Prisoner

**Tumblr Prompt: What if the Genie had trapped Regina instead...what would happen if a certain thief steal the lamp...**

She had thought she was free, was so sure she had done it, planned everything to the last dotted i and crossed t. But men are foul, foul creatures, taking what isn't theirs, enslaving whomever they desire, stealing futures and condemning lives.

It was as though time had slowed as his lips moved. The Queen stood frozen in her chambers, to stunned to silence the man. She had escaped one prison, just to wind up in another. He wished to always be with her, he wished for her to be his, wished to have her till the end of time. She snapped from her daze, lunging at the man, a desperate attempt to save herself.

But it was to late, the golden shackles gripped her slender wrists, sealing her fate as she screamed in horror. The swirl of purple smoke spun around her body, tugging her into the awaiting cage. She clawed at the stone ground, furiously fighting against the magic till her nails bled. She felt him breath into her hair, his stench of cinnamon and tobacco coating her senses.

"You are forever mine, My Queen. My Genie"

Those were the last words she heard before darkness surrounded her. She thought she had escaped the King, thought she had finally found freedom, how silly a thought, she should have known, men are foul creatures.

 **4 years later**

It's blank now, her mind has long lost its willingness to think and wonder. It's been to long, to many hours staring at the golden walls of her prison, to many run rises and sun sets staring out at the world through barred windows. A world she hadn't touched in more days that she cares to know.

She thinks she can smell the forest, the thick pine of woods, musky dampness of sodden ground. But then again, maybe she is just going crazy, making things up to occupy the void expanse of her empty mind. The prison swings back and forth, like a sick rocking of waves with each step her captor takes.

To say she loathes the man would be laughable. There isn't a word that describes the storming fire in her heart. It's nauseating, painful in a tormenting way, and completely all consuming. There had been a few days in the beginning he had let her out, given her moments of reprieve, allowed her to walk beside him at night where she couldn't be seen. His obsession with her grows every day, her skin crawls at every roaming of his eyes on her body, each wet revolting kiss he smeared on her cheek.

Twice she had tried to escape, incapacitating him with her magic, and running till her lungs burned. Twice she tried, and twice the rules of her new bonds caught her. 100 feet, that is how far she is allowed to go before the shackles freeze her. The realization devastated her heart. There truly was no escape unless he wished it, and that was the impossible.

The room jolts suddenly, and she is thrown onto the red plush carpet with a groan. The sudden whispering of voices echo in her tin can. The cage slowly is lifted, and she is frozen, something is wrong, her heart hammering in her chest as she backs into a corner. The voices that steal in the night are not his. She strains to hear their words, but they are like ghosting murmurs in the wind. She thinks to scream, rouse her apparently non existent owner. And then it hits her, this could be her chance, her way to freedom.

In an instant, her initial reaction to scream for him, is replaced with a sudden desire to scream out in help to whomever holds her now. But they are silent, and something holds her to that. Silence means safety. The room is thrown into darkness, a bag or sack she assumes. The clanging of other treasures ricochet off her cage.

They are thieves, stealing her…and that's when she panics. This could turn out even worse. Thieves are well known for their greediness, their rude terrorizing way of life, they are immoral, dirty and foul. Now she has no choice but to hope they don't know what she is, hope that some other poor villager will find her instead.

She knows they are running now, but it's surprisingly smooth, a rare jostle or bump. Exhaustion begins to pull her in, and before she gives in, the warm wetness of tears falls from her thick eyelashes. From one prison, onto the next. A never ending cycle.

It's peaceful as she wakes, hearing birds in the distance singing, a glow of sun easing through the windows basking her in it's warm embrace. It feels like a dream, like how she used to wake up years ago as a young girl, her stable boy nuzzled in close. But he is gone, there is no stable boy. Not anymore. She awakes with a pained sigh, waiting to be summoned. And she waits all day, left untouched as the sounds of their voices trail in and out. Ironic, thieves who wish to possess everything have no idea what they have truly stolen. She could give them anything, riches, kingdoms, whatever would satisfy their greed.

Three times the sun has now risen and set and still she waits, fighting between feeling thankful at the peace and yet the fear of uncertainty grows. The running of a river catches her attention and it's quiet around her. There is no bustling of voices, no shrewd cursing of words. Maybe they have left her, discarded the lamp without a second though. She could do it, listen to the sounds of the river for the rest of her days, alone.

It happens then, the soft crunching of rocks underneath boots, a settling down of a body beside her, she knows it's a man, can hear him whistling to himself. He is one of them, the thieves, he is the one that stole her, his penetrating forest smell a beaconing symbol. It's fitting she muses, a thief who smells like forest. She see's half a profile of him, nothing that gives away what he looks like. The sun is to bright, shadowing his face from her. She stiffens as his hand turns to grab her cage, this is it…holding her breath she waits for that awful tug of magic.

It swirls, vaulting her into the world. She inhales heavy, letting clean air expand her lungs, the feeling of the sun so much more palpable in the open. The purple smoke disappears around her, and there he is. She has to stifle the laugh from bubbling out, his face is white in shock, jaw hanging open, as he stares up at her. Clearly he had no idea what he stole, stupid thief.

She waits and he stares.

Her body freezes when he moves, slowly climbing to his feet in disbelief.

She eyes the man over, running along the broad expanse of his torso, thickness in his arms, strength of his legs, a nature built specimen. She hates men, all of them. This one will be no different, he will extort from her, blind to anything but his own desires. They all are.

He reaches forward and she recoils as though burned by fire. Fear roars into her veins as the man steps forward again. She begs her feet to move, but they betray her. The entirety of her body shakes, trembling with sweat as she stares at him closing the distance. She is dizzy, her vision beginning to blur, he steps again and her knees buckle.

She falls, waiting for the impact of the rocks. But it never comes. Instead she is pillowed into his chest, as he catches her, easing her down slowly. She tries to force him away, but the strength has left her body.

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you" his voice is thick in accent, warm like honey. His fingers slide a long chocolate curl from her face as her eyes flick up to him. Her heart stammers and catches in her throat. They look like the ocean, crystal clear with flecks of greens and gold, they are the most beautiful eyes she has seen.

"Are you alright?"

No words form in her dry throat, she can only stare at the tousled dark blonde hair that frames his face, the gentility of his brow, stark in contrast to the hard cut of his jaw, hidden by matching stubble. Her fingers itched to touch him, why she had no idea, but his skin looked so smooth.

"Milady?" he breathes out, and she swears she can taste the mint on his tongue. "Who are you?"

His question strikes a nerve and their sudden proximity pulls her back to reality. She scrambles back from him.

"I won't hurt you" he nearly whimpers at the departure of this stunning woman in front of him. Her skin a pale honey under the dark satin purple gown. It hugs her petite frame, wrapping around the small of her waist, flaring out at the curve of her hips. He can see the shake in her breath as her exposed chest rises and falls, the gown cupping her breasts in shimming gold before disappearing in thick gold chains behind her where they are lost in her hair. Dark chocolate chestnut curls fall long past her shoulders. It's the heart shape of her lips, rose in color, the light brown beauty mark on the lower right side, contrasting a stark scar on the upper corner that has him rendered speechless. And then he finds her eyes, and the world is lost to him. However, it is not their chocolate beauty that drowns him, it's the sadness that swirls within.

"You have nothing to fear from me" he smiles gently, hoping to ease the storm in her eyes.

"That's what all men say"

He sinks into the husky vibration on her voice.

"I swear on my life; I will not hurt you"

She stares at him, the honesty in his eyes sets her heart on fire. There is something about him, something different, something that has her magic sparking in a way she has never felt. But years of deception have her mind barricading the emotion.

"the life of a thief doesn't seem like a high price for my trust" she drawls out. He chuckles, standing himself before extending a hand to her. "I have a son, trust me, I am in hurry to let him be an orphan"

He reaches down and her fingers find his. She nearly cries out at the hot electricity that stems from the contact, but it's not painful, quite the opposite, it's like a lifeline, crackling like warm fire, easing her battered soul. She wonders if he feels it to, her answer coming a moment later when his blue eyes lock onto their hands, He must feel it.

"Who are you?" He asks again.

She hesitates, "If I tell you, will you help me?"

The thief nods, not letting her hand go for a moment "I will"

Chewing her lower lip, she forces the hard bubble of fear in her chest, "My name is Regina"

The disbelief in his eyes solidifies to her that he knows who she is.

"The missing Queen" he breathes out as a smile cracks his lips

Her heart clenches, there it is. The greed of men. She can hear it in his voice.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but it has been four years since you ran from the kingdom – "

"I didn't run"

She turns from him, storming away as the realization that she will be sent back to the castle sets in. back to her other prison, this time with no escape.

"I'm afraid I don't understand"

She flinches at this proximity behind her, but dares not look him in the eye, "I was kidnapped by a man, enslaved as his genie, forever condemned to live as his pet"

His palm settles on her lower back carefully, but she doesn't move away, but rather leans into him. There is something about her that shifted him, pulled something back out from the long lost part of his heart. The pain in her voice, sends a knife through him. No woman this beautiful should have to feel this much anguish.

"I assume you will take me back to the castle, now that you know who I am"

"Why would I do that?"

"The return of the Queen comes with a high reward"

"You're right, my son would want for nothing ever again…"

She sighs, crumbling internally as she blinks back the tears.

"….but I won't take you back"

She turns, not believing what he has just said "why, you could be a rich man. You don't even know me"

"A part of me feels like I do"

She doesn't move when his hand comes up to cup her cheek, she simply locks into his eyes. Her heart thunders, he feels familiar, thought it is impossible, and yet the feeling doesn't escape nor fades.

"What can I do, Your Majesty?"

"Set me free" she trembles

"I can do that, but I have a simple request"

She frowns, of course he does, they always do, all she can do it hope that he asks for something arbitrary, asks for anything that isn't her.

"I'd like you to come to my camp and let me cook you breakfast" he smiles.

Regina can't help but let out a breathless laugh, through the falling tears of relief as she grips his hand tight. This is it, she was finally going to be free, after years of being in a cage.

"Deal"


	17. I'm Drunk and You Irritate Me

**I'm Drunk and You Irritate Me**

The hall was chattering, mindlessly through tables, groups focused on each other with bouncing chuckles and hearty cheering of ale goblets. She sat while at the same table as the Charmings, not quite with them, choosing to revel in her own thoughts, and not needing to hear another damn hope speech from either. It had been almost a year, 10 months and 14 days since she had last seen her little boy. They say time makes it easier, but that was simply not true. Maybe wasn't as overwhelmingly consuming, and she didn't want to rip out her heart with every beat, but she missed him, painfully so.

When they first landed back in the Enchanted Forest, Regina knew she'd never be happy again. She'd internally decided that she would live out her life, alone in this awful castle, waiting for her son to find her. She supposes it is fortunate now that the annoying thief had forced his way into being her partner, and strangely it wasn't just for that one night.

She doesn't quite remember when it happened, between their incessant bickering and scowls, but there was a significant shift. Initially she blamed it on physical attraction, he is so handsome, so kind, such a good father, he has a sharp sense of humor just like her, arrogant in his need to protect, a body of hard planes and thick muscle, but incredibly soft and gentle late at night.

It kind of just happened, whatever this was. His persistence to annoy her, ended up with her lips attached to his at some point, and then it just snowballed. Heated kisses became passionate sex, bickering became playful teasing, and scowls became tender smiles.

But they don't talk about it. That's not part of their unsaid, unwritten rules. The don't talk about what they actually feel….feelings lead to pain (at least in Regina's mind) and she's had enough pain. He shrugged with a smile, told her whatever made her feel comfortable, letting her lead the way. But that was 5 months ago, and whether either would admit it, they both knew something was growing between them.

Her long nails tap on the wooden table top as she scans the room again. He's not here, probably still mad at her, she groans with a roll of her eyes. All she had done was protect them, they didn't need to come with her to face the Wicked Witch, and more than likely would have ended up as a pile of ash. So she went alone, and he was, well furious with her. Not that he has a right to be, they aren't _in love_ …. they just care for one another…. a lot…

But she hasn't seen him since yesterday…he didn't even come to her bed chambers last night.

It is if the universe was reading her mind, because just as she was silently thinking she sort of misses him, there is is, strolling…. well stumbling in fact over to her. His usual light complexion is flushed, hair a bit messier, and the smile that is normally plastered on his face is hidden behind a dead panned look.

Throwing himself down onto the bench across from her, his words slur out a fumbled _Your Majesssty._ She scoffs, waving a hand in front of her face "God Robin, care for some actual breakfast with that whiskey?"

He snorts in a huff, "worried about my appetite now are we….I thought we weren't allowed to worry about one another" He drags a long gulp from the bottle, staring at her with each moment.

Her arms fold across her chest as she leans back, defiantly sitting in silence, glaring at her thief. She can feel the Charming's' eyes glued to them, always needing to be in everyone's business, but she dares not break eye contact with Robin, who is now leaning on the table in a swaying attempt to invade her space.

He actually looks pissed off, something she isn't used to seeing in his soft blue eyes, and it has her stomach in a knot. Good thing they aren't in love, and she doesn't have to worry about how terrible her heart would ache if he left her.

Instead she tamps the unwelcome emotion deep down, opting instead for a disgruntled retort, drawling out in her husky tone "You're Drunk".

"and you irritate the shit out of me" he barks back.

Somewhere at another table, someone laughs, and she knows it's Will Scarlet as he snorts into his ale. The banter in the room had significantly died down, now replaced by mumbling conversations of those who want to show they aren't eavesdropping, but their tones hushed enough to hear that the thief just insulted the Queen.

"Excuse me?" Her dark eyebrow pulls up high with a murderous stare.

It apparently doesn't phase Robin in the slightest as he mirrors her expression...poorly.

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought we were just stating the obvious. I am Drunk, and you irritate me"

"Well glad you got that off of your chest, feel free to leave" She snaps, ready to have this conversation over and done with.

Robin waves the half drunk bottle of alcohol in front of her "Well, there are a few _other_ things about you I'd actually like to _get off my chest_ " he stumbles on the words but trudges forward regardless.

A flush of embarrassment creeps into her, she doesn't need everyone in the damn castle listening to things Robin doesn't like about her….but a Queen doesn't run, and she won't look vulnerable. So she stares back, hoping that he will see how uncomfortable he is making her. But the whiskey blurs his usual sharp notice of her emotions.

Without missing a beat, he starts to continue, but she is left somewhat stunned when what he says, is the exact opposite to what she was expecting.

"You irritate me, to the point that I can't stop thinking about you" he grumbles, staring down at the table with almost adorable irritation "I figured that if I got drunk enough, maybe for 5 minutes I wouldn't see you in every thought…. that planned failed miserably" He rolls his eyes, swigging back another round, readying himself for the next.

"I'm Drunk…. And you are so bloody beautiful, I feel like I can't breathe when I see you"

Everyone is now staring, and quite openly. Chairs have turned, the chatter is silent, they are all watching with side ways grins and open shocked mouths.

"I'm Drunk… And the only thing that I see when I close my eyes, is you... smiling that bloody beautiful smile"

The rouge on her skin flourishes, a fluttering of butterflies in her stomach as she does everything in her willpower to not smile.

"I'm Drunk…. And just hearing you name makes my heart stammer"

Though everyone else seems rather taken with the drunken babble, she is frozen in her chair, stuck in a strange bubble, listening to him rant on about her, and it's not entirely unpleasant...inappropriate for certain to be doing this in public where people can hear very openly that the Queen and the Thief are in fact in a relationship...if you can call it that.

She hears the small adoring sighs from certain people as Robin makes comment after comment, something about how _goddamn soft her hair is, how her lips taste like sugar, annoyingly sweet and he can't go a day without kissing her -_ and while normally she would roll her eyes at such things, bold boisterous proclamations, all she can do is stare.

"I'm Drunk, and you are so incredibly sexy. It's unfair how badly I want you all the time"

The heat in her cheeks flare as she bites down on her lower lip to stifle the smile, the last thing she needs is for him to start gabbing about their sex life in public...their fantastic sex life.

"I ache for you…."

A choked out laugh spurts through the room from the Merry Men's table…but it doesn't stop the drunken monologue of Robin, who waves his hand towards the table, acknowledging what he just said with a chuckle, before turning, well swaying back to face her.

"…. physically, of course, but Regina it's more than that…."

His palm slams into his chest "my heart aches for you, I feel like I'm suffocating when you're not around me…you've stolen it, my heart. I know I gave it willingly, but you..." he points a finger at her, "you are the thief in this".

She swallows thickly, still sitting in silence as he shuffles around the table towards her.

"You drive me absolutely mad, Regina"

He stands a few feet from her, swaying slightly on his feet, the anger in his eyes drowned out by confused emotions. She stands, stalking towards him, half torn between wanting to kiss him and wanting to roast him on the spot for making such a scene.

He can see it, kind of, the whiskey has his brain feeling like watery mush, but he makes it out, the battle in her head as she closes the distance between them. With a huff he finishes off the last remnants of the whiskey.

She stops, hands cross over her chest, her face painted in a scowl and he rolls his eyes, of course she won't say anything. It's infuriating to him, how dare she toy with him like this, and have the nerve to just stand there.

"Are you finished?" She dead pans

"Trust me, I could go on for hours thinking about the ways you irritate me" He retorts.

"Well by all means then…" her hand waves in front of her in challenge.

He is stunned for a half moment, but the smirk on her face, boils his blood. Damn her, he will stand her all day if he has to.

He bows dramatically, mis-stepping slightly, throwing out a hand into the tabletop to stop him from crashing to the ground "If you insist, Your Majesty" her title dripping off his tongue.

"I'm Drunk….And -"

"I love you"

Someone drops a goblet, and the dining hall falls deadly silent.

But the Queen doesn't move, doesn't blush, simply stands as stoically as royals do. She has to force her mask up damn lightning fast, in order to not break out in a laugh at Robin's face.

His jaw hanging open, eyes wide in disbelief.

Serves him right.

"Anything else?" her tone calm, un-phased by the bomb she just dropped on him, and on everyone else.

The shake of his head is near imperceptible, but she see's it. "Well then. I think we are finished here" She turns and walks away from him, avoiding every eye in the crowd that follows her till she is outside the doors.

..

…

….

Hours later, her fingers fiddle with a string from her duvet, a naïve attempt to take her empty her mind. All day she stayed in her room, and he never came in once. Not that she can blame him really, they agreed no feelings, and she just burned right through that with her confession. Her heart does however pain over the fact that it's nearly midnight, and he still hasn't come.

She won't cry though the tears brim in her thick lashes, it won't solve anything. It was probably more than he was bargaining for anyway. No one loves the Evil Queen, no one has and no one will. A simple fact of her life that is becoming concreted in her heart. She sinks down into the pillow that is propped on the headboard letting the quiet night surround her.

Staring into the stars, she hears the door open and her heart clenches tight, this was it, he was here to tell her they needed to stop, he needed space, they couldn't be together.

She knew it was coming, forcing herself to sit up and take the punch in the gut, head on.

His shirt is off as he slowly walks to the bed, avoiding her eyes with each step. She can't read his expression, he looks confused, he looks stunned, and he sort of looks relieved.

Not saying anything, he tugs the covers off her torso, and she can't seem to move as he climbs over top of her, wrapping his arms behind the small of her back, covering half her body, his head falls to rest on her chest. Her heart glows when he sighs into her.

It's automatic that her fingers begin to run through his sandy brown hair, the other hand trailing lazy lines up and down his arm.

"Did you mean it?" his stubble scratching her skin through his whisper.

"Yes" she doesn't miss a beat, leaning her chin to the crown on his head.

He hugs her a fraction tighter, burying his face into the swell of her breast with a hard exhale.

"Will you tell me again tomorrow?" he muffles

"Yes"

"And the day after that?"

She chuckles lightly, stroking across his scalp, her lips pressing to his forehead gently.

"Yes"

"And everyday that follows?"

"Yes"

He fractionally lifts himself up, finding her gaze watery, accompanied by a tender smile. Locking to her eyes he bites down on his lip with a grin…

"Will you tell me right now?"

Regina beams, pulling him closer to her so their foreheads can touch, and lips can brush.

"I love you"

And she kisses him because she can, because she wants to, he wants her to.

Robin pulls back, trailing his lips across her jaw, down the column of her neck and over her heart. She soaks in the affections he places on her chest, on the swell of her breast, just over her heart, cradling him again, when he returns to lay back down on her, arms still wrapped tightly around her torso, nullifying any instance of space between them.

An easy few minutes tick by with the steady rise and fall of her breaths moving his head, the soft beating of her heart pulsing in his ear. Her hands never stop carding through his hair, nor cease running over his arms.

He loves her, more that she will ever know.

"Regina?"

"Hmmmmm?"

"I know I'm Drunk, but I love you"

"I know"


	18. Every Morning and Every Night

**Tumblr Prompt: 500 words of Outlaw Queen - you're welcome :)**

She wakes up to it nearly every morning, goes to sleep with it every night. Sometimes in the middle of her work day it happens, catching her off guard, setting her mind in a haze. It brings her to the highest peak, before crashing down like a wave. She flushes, loses her breath, shakes and trembles each time. It's something in her years before she'd never experienced, and now was completely unwilling to give it up, and so willing to let it happen. She began to crave it, it moments when it definitely shouldn't be in her head.

Once or twice or in fact many more, she's caught herself melting into her own thoughts over it, feeling hot and embarrassed when others call her out on the absence of her mind. It's intoxicating, it's power. Her sleep is sinfully blissful after, her days a flicker brighter than before. She loves that it varies, sometimes barely there, others so overwhelmingly present it feels as though she may black out. That has happened a few times now, drowning in it, being swallowed whole, surrendering to the electricity and then completely falling to pieces.

It's a game now, seeing how long she can last its monumental attack, she fights, biting her lip, scratching at whatever her long nails can find. She whimpers, growls, moans and screams as it takes her down. And she loves it. Every single second. This morning is no different, catching her off guard though her subconscious in sleep knew it would happen. It's playful in it's beginning, a gentle pawn nudging her to arouse, followed by a bold strike that has her heart fluttering. She clamps down, waiting to see what happens next, focusing on the hard motions followed by smooth succulent torture. It slides away, roaming other avenues, coaxing her from sleep.

She's a Queen, and wouldn't dare fall so easily at it pulls and tugs, slickens and slows before diving back in. Her body reflexes, hitching away before falling back, giving just enough, but holding her ground. It teasing, barely making contact, an delicious annoyance that has her growling in response. She goes to move, but it beats her there, and then all is lost. She pants, falling apart it finds her weak spot, relentless in it's pursuit of her surrender. Her voice now begs, pleading through it's hitched shake. Fire rolls through her veins, her heart pounding so furiously it threatens to break apart. She knows it's over, the Queen loses, once again as the fireworks start to explode, dragging her soul to the peaks before sending her flying back down.

Her breath is ragged as she sucks the oxygen back in, legs full in their tremble as she comes back to the reality of day. Another defeat, though gladly given. She smiles, a breathless laugh parting through ruby lips. Another morning she rises with it, and by the look on his face, she will definitely be going to sleep with it.

Who knew all that needed to break an Evil Queen, was a determined thief and it's incredible tongue.


	19. Questions and Answers

CTP WEEK

She should have seen it coming, realized that curious minds would ask questions, but she hadn't had to deal with this sort of thing when Henry was a boy. There was no one around during that time, just her and her little prince. So when her bold-curious-bright eyed daughter posed the question over breakfast, Regina nearly choked on the coffee. Her heart stuttered, a rouge flush flared in her cheeks. She sat stunned, staring back at the inquisitive little girl.

"Mama?"

Regina swallowed thickly, looking for a distraction so she wouldn't have to answer what was probably the most embarrassing question that she'd every been asked. Robin padded into the kitchen, beaming in his every lasting energetic way "Morning my loves, what's going on?"

His eyes found Regina, who sat with a held breath, her eyes wide, frozen solid to her seat. It unnerved him "Regina love?". He sat down beside his daughter, cradling her in his lap as he stared back at Regina.

"Daddy, why were you hurting mommy last night?" Rosie's blue eyes pierced into her father with question. He understood now, why Regina was rooted in silence. His throat ran dry as he searched for an answer that wouldn't scare his daughter for life.

"Uhhh, I wasn't" He finally choked out.

"But I heard her, she was crying"

 _Crying out from an incredible orgasm,_ Regina smirked internally through her mortification.

Henry had decided to waltz into the kitchen at that moment with a cheery "Morning".

"Henry! Papa was hurting mommy last night!"

The teen scowled hard at Robin, before suddenly realizing what exactly was going on. He groaned, stuffing his hands into his hair, "Really you guys! Use a silencing spell please!"

Regina was red hot, burning up in embarrassment at her son's sudden answer.

"Rosie, come on lets go play outside, leave the children here alone" He scoffed, hauling up the toddler into his arms and she squealed in delight.

Their kids left, leaving a very flushed Regina and a smirking Robin alone in the kitchen.

"M'lady you need to learn to hush apparently" He smiled with a devious wink.

"Well maybe I could, if someone's tongue stayed in their mouth" She replied equally flirtatiously.

Robin stood up, rounding the table, leaning into her thick smile "I can't help that you taste delicious"

He caught her lips hard, pressing solidly into her body, snatching the remaining air from her lungs. And later that night as he was crawling down to his favorite delicacy, he felt a tug to his hair, halting is action. He frowned, not liking being stopped from his favorite dessert.

"Wait" her voice breathless as she sat forward a fraction… "Best take Henry's advice", her palm glowing purple for a moment before her body fell back into the pillows. Robin smirked, tugging her hips back down, and devouring her till she screamed, a scream that no one but his ears could hear, and he loved every damn moan that surrounded him.


	20. DNA

CTP WEEK

When Rose Locksley was born Regina was terrified, not because she didn't think she couldn't love this little girl, that thought was stamped out the moment she laid eyes on her. But she was terrified of being a Mother to a girl. Her past hadn't exactly given her the best idea of how a mother and daughter relationship was supposed to go. But Regina also wasn't stupid, she knew how to love a child, therefore in reality this one should be no different. Maybe it was the fear Rose would grow up and not love her back. Regina knew DNA wasn't everything, she had Henry and Roland who she adored and who both adored her back. After Zelena had been sent back to OZ, Regina felt a sense of safety, together her and Robin and decided to keep her conception away from her. Robin wanted Regina to be Rose's mother, and for that Regina was beyond grateful.

In the first years it was easy, Rose clung to Regina every moment of every day. Majority of the towns people would laugh over the fact that the little blonde girl would hold her mother so tight Regina didn't need to hold her. It was like a koala baby hugging it mother. Where ever Regina went, Rose Locksley was there, glued to her hip. Regina loved it, the overwhelming love her daughter had. She figured she would be a total daddy's girl, but it was the absolute opposite. She adored her papa, but the second Regina walked through the door, Rose would tear away from Robin, arms open wide with a happy smile, throwing herself into Regina.

Robin couldn't have been happier either. Seeing how his daughter mimicked everything Regina did. She was her hero, her world and everything in between. He'd sit in the kitchen watching them bake, or smile when he'd walk into their bedroom and Regina would be sitting in the floor, letting their daughter brush her hair, pulling it into an array of wild hairstyles. Many a day, the Queen would come down in pigtails and bows in her hair, her daughter in a matching outfit just because. He was also silently thankful that in those first few years his daughter seemed to bear no resemblance to her biological mother. Her eyes were bright blue, skin soft and rosy, deep set dimples in chubby cheeks, and long curly blonde hair.

But as the years progressed they began to notice the slight red tinge, turning sunshine colored hair into a strawberry blonde and finally into a dark auburn red. He had brushed off her questions in the beginning about her new hair color, a white lie that his mother was a red head, so that's where she must have got it from. So life went on, Rose and Regina being thick as thieves until one day everything changed. Rose had come home from school, a week before her 12th birthday in a foul mood, and yet not foul, but unnervingly quiet and reserved, much different than her usual laid back easy way. He tried to ask her, but she ran up into her room, slamming the door shut with bang. Regina came home about an hour later, somewhat shocked she wasn't immediately greeted by a bear hug from her daughter. She found Robin sitting in the den, nursing a whiskey with a heavy set frown in his face.

"Robin, what's wrong?" she sat down beside him, kissing his cheek before sitting back into the sofa. He shook his head, staring back at the amber liquor, "It's Rose. She was upset today and I don't know why? She wouldn't talk to me"

Regina smiled at her husband, patting his cheek gently "I'll go talk to her"

She climbed the steps, knocking softly on the door yet received no answer. "Rose? Honey can I come in?"

She pushed the door open, peering around the corner to find her daughter sitting cross legged on the bed, her face beat red and she hastily wiped tears from her face. Regina's heart clenched, "Baby what's wrong?" She padded quickly over to Rose, climbing into the bed in panic. The young girl flinched at Regina's hand that went to grab her hand, shuffling back into the bed away. Regina inhaled sharp, not used to this reaction from her baby girl.

"Rose? Talk to me?" Her eyes searched frantically over the red head's face, desperately searching for something.

"You lied to me" Rose's voice barely above a whisper "Both you did"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not your daughter" Blue eyes met brown, scowling through their evident pain. Regina sank, feeling the hard bubble rise into her throat. She tried to smile, close the distance between her daughter "Honey yes you are"

"NO! YOU'RE LYING AGAIN!" Rose screamed, scrambling up the bed, stuffing a pillow into her torso as a barrier.

It was a horrid flashback, to years ago when Henry yelled the same thing at her. Her heart broke, as memories began to flood her mind, memories of pain, anguish and fear that she was losing her son.

"Rose, I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true" She trembled as the fear rose.

"I heard Blue talking at Granny's diner. She said that it was about time I began to reflect my real mother….."

Regina blood boiled, how dare that woman bring this pain into her daughters' world. She would deal with that insufferable fairy later. All that mattered was the tears that were falling form her daughters' eyes.

"Baby listen to me…." Her begging was cut off by the anger of the girl in front of her

"NO! Both you and Daddy have lied to me. I'm not yours! I heard everything. I'm the Wicked Witch's daughter. The lady that stole Daddy from you. She got pregnant with me in New York. I'm not your daughter. You aren't my mom!" She sobbed uncontrollably into the pillow and Regina could help but move closer, pulling her baby girl into a hug. Rose tensed "Let go of me!" she tried to shove Regina off, pushing against the embrace till she wriggled free.

"Rosalie!" Regina shook out, desperation in her voice as the tears brimmed in her eyes.

"You don't love me. You never did"

"That's not true!"

"It is true! You only love me because I'm Daddy's!"

"Honey no!"

Regina scrambled from the bed as Rose ran from the room, thundering down the stairs through her tears.

"Rosalie stop! Honey please!" She chased her daughter down the steps, horrified in her panic. The front door swung open as the younger girl ran from the house "LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER!".

Robin ran from the study at the commotion, watching in shock as his daughter sprinted from the house crying, Regina following down the stairs. Roland came running out from his room "What's going on?!"

Regina stumbled at the last step, falling into Robin's arms, screaming out for their daughter to stay.

"Regina! What happened?"

"She knows Robin" she choked out between tears, "That fucking Blue Fairy….Oh God Robin….we have to get her back"

His heart shattered as he clung to Regina, pulling her into his arms "What? What does she know Regina?"

"Everything, about Zelena…" Regina's tears poured from her eyes as her breath began to hyperventilate. He pressed a kiss into her temple, through his own fear and panic "We will get her back. It's okay. I'll go get her" He stood, pulling Regina to her feet.

"No"

They turned to face their grown son, his expression stern. He had grown so fast, once unruly brown curls now trimmed behind his ears, the chubby face gave way to a strong jaw, broad shoulders like his father. It was incredible that he was now 17, a young man in his own right.

"I'll go; she will listen to me"

Regina and Robin stood together, Regina still clutching through her tears against Robin's chest as he nodded, knowing his son would be able to bring her back. They watched as Roland grabbed his keys and coat, firing off a text to someone they weren't certain who before he ran from the house into the dark night.

Roland drove down the darkened streets, knowing exactly where his sister was to go. The truck pulled over at the park, his seat belt un-clicking as he made way to the swings where she was. He sighed, taking the swing next to her through their silence.

"Go away Roland" she barked.

He smirked, "Not a chance Rosie"

"Did they send you?... To lie to me more?" she scoffed back, wiping away the falling tears.

"Nope, I wanted to talk to you"

"Why" she sniffed, as he tugged her from her swing, walking her gently towards the park bench.

"Because, we have more in common than you think" Henry came around from the other side unsuspecting.

"What are you doing here?" Rose questioned

"I wanted to show you something" Henry commented back, squishing his sister between him and his brother.

Roland pulled his phone from his pocket, scrolling through his phone before settling on a particular photo, pushing the phone into Rosalie's hands.

She frowned at photo in front of her "Who's that?"

Roland shrugged, hugging his sister in close "That is my biological mother, Marian"

Rose's eyes creased, not understanding.

"She is the woman who gave birth to me…..much like Zelena is your biological mother"

"And you know Emma. She is mine, but Regina is my mother, always had been, always will be" Henry added with a smile.

"They lied to me"

"Don't think of it as lying. They were trying to protect you from knowing the real truth about Zelena"

"It's the same thing" she groaned.

"Maybe, but Zelena was wicked. And mom and dad saved you from her" Roland squeezed her shoulders

"I get it. I was mad with Regina when I found out about Emma. I caused her a lot of pain, but in the end I knew that she truly loved me, that I was her son"

"But everything I know is a lie" she croaked.

"Is it? Regina may not be your own blood, but she loves you, like a mother should. She raised you and though you may feel lost right now, never ever forget the fact that she could have walked away from all of us…. But she didn't. She chose to love us, to take us in, raise us as her own ever through her own pain…" Henry suggested.

"Her pain? What could she possible have pain over?"

Roland sighed, finding his older brothers wise eyes. "Think about it Rosie. She raised Henry, but almost had him taken away after the first curse but chose to fight for him instead. Me, she didn't have to love me, but the moment we met I knew I had found my mother. She loved me, and I found my mother in her eyes. And then you…."

Roses' blue eyes found her brothers dark chocolate ones, scanning his face with the scrunch of her nose.

"She and dad were completely deceived by Zelena, she pretended to be my mom, and Regina let dad go, giving us our best chance. Can you imagine how hard that was for her, to watch her soulmate leave after just finding him?"

Roland smiled at his younger sister, hoping she would start to see the light behind her pain.

"She fought so hard to get Dad back, even after Zelena gave birth to you, she never gave up…" Roland continued.

"because, she loves you, just like she loves us" Henry finished.

Rosalie sighed, Regina truly was the only mother she had known. After every tear that fell her she was there, every nightmare, it was Regina who sang her a lullaby to sleep, after every question that was answered, and every hug and kiss, it was Regina behind it. Her heart sank

"I screwed up didn't I?" she whimpered, leaning into Roland's shoulder.

"Nah sis, I think mom and dad knew this day would come. But you need to decide what you want. They will tell you about Zelena is you wish, and you will know about the mother that was wicked and cruel, or… you can choose, to love the only real mother we have all had" Henry leaned in, hugging his sister tight.

The three siblings sat together, letting the chill of night attempt to break their warm embrace.

"It's tough, I get it. And if you ever want to talk, well that is what big brothers are for!" Henry chimed.

"I thought you were here to scare me with spiders and beat off every boy that dare look at me?" She smiled,

"Well that too. It's our right as your siblings" Roland bumped her shoulder.

"So do you wanna do home?" Her oldest brother questioned.

"Yeah, I wanna see mom" She sighed through a watery smile.

Regina and Robin sat on the couch, silently watching minutes tick by, her fear bubbling in her stomach. Maybe they should have told Rose from the start, but all they wanted to do was keep this kind of pain, a pain that regardless she had been subjected to.

"It's gonna be alright" Robin pressed a kiss to her temple, squeezing her hand in the process.

She couldn't say anything, afraid that the tears would fall if she dare open her mouth, instead she stared at the door, waiting for her children to come home.

As if on cue, the door cracked open, Henry leading the foray as Rose and Roland trailed behind. Regina's breath halted, waiting to see what her daughter would say.

Rose said nothing, tears filling her eyes as she caught Regina's longing gaze. The young girl, fell into the sofa, clutching to her mother as her face buried into the vanilla apple spice that her life clung to. Regina encased her daughter in a heavy hug, breathing hard into the dark red hair as the tears fell.

"I get it" Rose huffed out into Regina's neck "I understand why you didn't want to tell me about Zelena…why you and dad kept that secret"

Robin circled his arms around his daughter and wife, pulling them tight into his chest.

"We never meant to hurt you Rosie, I promise" he whispered into Regina's hair.

Rose sighed, clinging to her parents "I know. I'm sorry"

Regina hugged her daughter tight, her fingers tugging through the red hair beneath. They had a long road ahead, but Regina was sound in the fact that she wouldn't give up, not now, not ever.

"I love you mom" Rose kissed her cheek before settling back into her chest, letting her mothers heart beat soothe her soul.

"I love you to, peanut"


	21. Full Circle

Prompt: Missing Year - Regina tells Robin about the Lion Tattoo, and he takes her somewhere she never thought she would go back to.

She didn't know she was doing in, apparently her subconscious always sought it out. Trailing its dark edges and figure with her fingers without her even realizing. So it was no different now, that her hand was gripped around the tattoo, as she lay over Robin's naked chest, slick with salty sweat, feeling the heavy beating of his heart on her own bare skin, as their lips smoothed and molded together lazily.

Months had passed in the Enchanted Forest, and it had only taken this damn thief a few weeks to scale her walls and find himself inside her own personal castle. They'd bickered non stop in the beginning, he was smug, she was sharp tongued. Never ending between the eye rolling and annoyed tones. But such as life is, bickering became fun, they would walk alone together and barb back and forth, laughing and scoffing at each other. Casual walks side by side, moved into the gentle intertwining of fingers, leading to gentle smiles and wandering gazes. Robin had made the first move, changing everything, catching her off her guard with the soft press of his lips to her. It snow balled from there, and now they would bicker not about having to work together, but about having to be apart.

Regina noticed the tattoo about 2 months ago, glaring out at her like a beacon. How she hadn't seen it before, well that remains to be alluded, granted her eyes were probably rolling in the back of her head, from irritation or pleasure, which ever. His arms had curled around her waist as she stood out of the balcony in the middle of the night. The warmth of his chest hugging her bare back as her nails raked over the toned skin of his forearms. And then there is was. She figured she would have run, as she did before, but surprising even herself, she stared down at the tattoo, and leaned back into it's owners embrace, smiling through a few stray tears as she listening to him hum in her ear. They had found each other, after all those years and her running away, her soulmate was here, had been for months before she even knew.

"You're lost in thought again" his timber voice whispered into her hair.

Regina smiled, laying her head down onto his chest, and immediately finding his tattoo with her eyes and fingers. Soaking into the warmth of his body, the pine and honey smell of his skin, she traced the emblem, wondering if he should know.

"It's a crest of my family" Robin murmured, knowing without looking where Regina's eyes were glued. She had a strange fascination with his tattoo, always looking at it, always touching it, getting this distant look in her eyes.

He was completely in love with the Queen, a blind man could have seen it. Every part of her pulled him in, the curves of her body, silky quality of her skin, smoothness of her long chestnut curls, the perfection of her lips and expression of her eyes. She was beautiful that much was known to anyone, but what Robin had come to find out, was that it wasn't her beauty that he fell in love with, but her heart.

While most would scoff and pledge it was as dark and dangerous as they come, Robin had found quite the opposite. The Regina he, woke up to in the mornings and fell into bed with at night, had a breath-taking laugh, a smile that could dazzle the sun, a shyness in her actions. There was so much more about this woman than people would ever know. Robin wasn't naïve, he knew of her past, and the strength and brashness she possessed, but it was more in a protection of herself that a true personality.

The woman he loves, likes to pretend she doesn't want him to snuggle her, but barely puts up a fight when his arms wrap around. The women he loves, snickers at crude jokes overheard from the Merry Men's table, while trying to maintain her regal mask. The woman he loves is soft, and warm, a complete contrast to the hard exterior she wears in public.

Yes, Robin knew a while back he had fallen for the Queen, and while he was fairly certain, she also loved him back, they never said it, never brought up emotions or feelings. He could see the fear in her eyes if he did, the nervousness that suddenly tensed in her shoulders. So while he could feel that she loved him, they had yet to be spoken. And he was for now, content just to be with her, as is, waiting for her to feel safe and comfortable more so with herself, not necessarily him. It was an internal battle, he knew it. Learning to find a way to love yourself, before you could love another.

They lay together, breathing in sync, with Robin ghosting his palms along her naked back in mindless motions, wondering how he ever lived his life without this woman.

"Can I ask you something?" she questioned quietly, propping herself up on his chest.

"Of course" he smiled.

Her fingers raked through his tousled hair "You can't laugh okay. And I won't be compared to the nauseating Charmings after this. Understood". Her dark eyebrow arched high in a stoned expression.

Robin chuckled, brushing back a fallen curl of hair "Whatever you wish".

Regina exhaled a long smooth breath, sitting up on her knees, letting Robin shuffle up the bed, half still in lazy lounging, but up enough to focus on her. Swallowing hard, she grazed over his chest, laced with old and new scars of a dangerous lifetime as an outlaw, to the blonde stubble on his face that hid knee weakening dimples, and up to his blue eyes, that she had come to realize were flecked with greens and golds, beautiful in their own right.

"Do you believe in soulmates?" She bit down on her lower lip, trying to fight off the flush that crept into her cheeks.

Robin shrugged, raising an eyebrow "I suppose so. My mother used to talk about soulmate's"

Suddenly curious, Regina shuffled closer to him "What did she say?" her palm resting over his heart. Robins hand curled around her fingers, holding her to his chest with a crooked smile.

"She said that soulmates are like the sun and moon. They chase each other day and day, night after night, getting glimpses through time of the other, yet always apart. But the sun loved the moon so much, he died every night just so she could breathe. And the moon cherished her sun beyond words she would do the same, just in hope of seeing him one more time" Robin smiled, winking at a stunned Regina. "It's an old wives' tale though. But in essence I suppose that yes I do believe in them"

"I had been married to the king for little over two years, and I was so unhappy here. My life encompassed being a pretty trophy to a man three times my age at balls and parties, and that was it. I wasn't needed for anything else, my mind was beginning to die, my heart slowly losing it's will to beat" She frowned over the memories, but her heart glowed at the feeling of Robin's hand squeezing hers back. "I was so overwhelmed by loneliness that one night, I _fell_ from my balcony and was caught by a fairy"

Robin stared at Regina, his breath barely moving as he thought of her past, the torment she must have lived through, not being loved when that is all she truly craves. He understands her past, better than most probably.

"She, uhhh, she took my to a tavern in a village nearby here, told me I needed to find love" She smiled shyly at the memory, that flicker of hope in her heart that she thought long since died flared back to life at the fairy's words. "She stole some pixie dust, and showed me my soulmate"

Robin's heart froze and crashed, she had a soulmate, and it wasn't him. Sinking he waited for her to ask for help to find the man, to find her happy ending, and he would, he would do anything for her, she deserved it and he loved her enough to move mountains and part seas to get her there.

Regina saw the shift in his eyes, and she smiled at the pout that began to grace his face.

"I ran though, before I saw his face"

Blue eyes met dark brown in confusion.

"Then how will you find him?"

Her fingers gripped around his forearm, "Because I saw this".

The room went silent, Robin's eyes falling to where his tattoo was being touched, and Regina sat waiting for his reaction to either run or well she didn't really know. How easy could it be to swallow that your soulmate was the Evil Queen. Regret over telling him began to bubble, maybe she shouldn't have, now there is no going back. He knows they are fated to be together, he and the Evil Queen. She fell in love before she knew about the tattoo though, that was her saving grace in a strange way. That it wasn't over the fact she saw it first and then fell in love, but the exact opposite.

"I'm your soulmate?" Robin breathed out, flicking his gaze up to hers in astonishment. Regina bit down on her lip, shrugging her shoulders softly through the shy smile.

"That makes you mine then?"

"Yes"

The smile that tore across Robin's face, took Regina by surprise, and she was suddenly impacted by his lips on hers, catching and pressing into her with every ounce of his heart. He climbed the bed, pushing her down onto her back as he covered her with his own body, never releasing her lips, that were meant for him. All of her was his, meant for him, created to fit into each crevasse of his soul. He felt as though he was on fire, burning from the inside out, yet drowning in an ocean that was all her.

"You're mine" It wasn't a question, but an undeniable truth that parted from his lips and fell into Regina's smile.

"I am"

"And I'm yours"

"You are"

He kissed her as his heart began to tremble over the clarity of his new found situation. And it was beyond anything he could have imagined but at the heart of it all, it felt like peace, full encompassing, pure white peace.

A few days passed, Robin and Regina attached to the hip, smiling like love sick fools in their privacy, learning every part of the other. He had requested to take her somewhere, it was a surprise and he was deadly stone walled in not giving up where they were headed. She acquiesced after the pouty lips and baby blues frowned, slapping him on the shoulder with a heavy roll of her eyes.

So here they are now, walking in comfortable silence through the nearby village, hands locked together as they wound around the cobble stone paths. The stores and homes looks oddly similar to her as they turned a corner, a over pass casting a shadow on them before she realized exactly where they were. Her heart stammered, as the tavern sign came into view, the door that so long ago she stood outside of, staring in, to afraid to walk through.

He felt the stiffening in her spine, the undeniable tension in her hand, his ears picking up on the quickening of her breath. Turning to face her, he smiled, leaning in to kiss the uncertain look that swirled in her eyes.

Pulling back, one arm wrapped around her slender waist in the crème gown she was wearing, flowing out at her hips, cupping her breasts that were adorned with diamonds. Her beauty truly was something that could not be rivaled.

"This is the place where you found me" He winked, carding a hand through her long dark curls. Regina nodded, her eyes flickering over to the door where a rowdy crowd was cheering amongst their ale and chatter.

"I couldn't really think of a better place to bring you. Back to the start"

She curled inwards, remembering the fear that had blown through her heart that day, seeing him bathed in green dancing dust, but so terrified of truly being happy. They couldn't have been, she was the Queen and the King certainly wouldn't have let her go.

"Back to where I ran away from you" she whispered, blinking back the few tears that had begun to gather on thick lashes. His fingers caught her chin, tilting her face back up so he could meet her eyes.

"Not this time" he smiled, kissing her softly before opening the tavern door. She went to follow, but his hand slipped from her grip "You'll find me" he smirked, backing away from her and nudging the door closed. She stood frozen to the stone road, a slight tremble in her hands as she watched his blurred body move into the crowd. It was like no time had pass, here she was standing in front of a tavern door, knowing that the love of her life was on the other side. Fear had driven her back last time, and she couldn't help but feel that small twinge in her stomach begin to resurface. Closing her eyes, she exhaled heavy, pressing a palm to the oak door. Minutes passed by as she tried to calm the erratic beating of her heart.

She thought of that young girl, who loved a stable boy, was forced to watch him die so she could become Queen, a title she never wanted, the long lonely years spent in that prison, the day the Genie killed the King and she became the sole Ruler. Regina choked back a sob as her memories came to pass, the years spent hunting for Snow White, being feared by everyone, casting the curse, finding Henry, losing him to the Savior, finding him in Neverland only in the end to be back in the same world she had so desperately tried to escape.

Life was a full circle in this moment, but the future wasn't quite as terrifying this time around. She thought of his baby blue eyes, the easiness of his laugh, strength in his body, coarseness of his stubble, and the purity of his heart. He was hers, and she was his.

The door pulled open, and she crossed the barrier, full of light as she walked over to the man with the Lion Tattoo.

Fin.


	22. More than a GodMother

**Prompt: Robin and Regina ask Emma to be their daughters Godmother.**

Regina watched as Robin bounced their little girl gently up and down, a small sway in his position, soothing the 18-day old baby between tiny cries. Loving him had become ten fold, if that was even physically possible. He was absolutely adorable snuggling their daughter every second of the day, well at least when Regina would relinquish her hold on their baby. Finding out they were pregnant was a complete and utter shock. It shouldn't have been possible, but apparently the magic between soulmates truly could break any curse.

Her pregnancy had been tough, brutal morning sickness, to which Robin would dutifully rub her back, carding his fingers through her hair, fetching her water. They thought they lost her once. Regina had woken up screaming in pain, her entire body seizing. Panic ensued when she began to bleed, Robin rushed her to the hospital, refusing to let her hand go the entire night. But their little miracle was strong and 5 months later here she was.

Ten little fingers, ten little toes, jet black hair, bright blue eyes just like her father. They were smitten from the first second, their little Rosalie Jade, Rose for short. She was utterly perfect. Robin could sit for hours just watching the little breaths expand in her tiny lungs. Regina was no different, her heart swelled with every moment spent with her daughter. Life couldn't be more perfect than it was.

Robin settled down beside Regina, smiling at the fact Rose had finally fallen asleep. Her hands rubbed tiny circles on the baby's back, as Robin leaned in to press a kiss to her temple. This was happiness, pure happiness.

The front door clicked open, and Emma came into view, slowly treading into the living room with a smile.

"Hey" she whispered, seeing the sleeping baby "How's she doing?"

If there was one other person that had become enamored with their daughter, it was Emma. The blonde came by every day, rocking the little girl, bringing her stuffed toys, reading to her at nap time. Regina figured it was because she had missed out on Henry as a baby. A few times Robin literally had to force her to leave, guiding her to the door, promising she could come back tomorrow.

"She's good..." but Robins statement was cut short as the little pink bundle began fidget, small whines echoing.

"Let me take her!" Emma stood on instant, arms extended out on instinct.

Regina had to suppress the smile as Robin's obvious scowl at giving up his daughter, but Emma's persistence won out. Rose was transferred between adults and Emma immediately became solely focused on the little girl, cooing as she began to rock back and forth.

"Hey little Rosie posey, it's alright baby girl. Auntie Emma is here. Sssshhhhhh. I've got you"

The smile from the blonde beamed as she stared down at the tiny girl.

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you were going to steal her away from us" Regina chuckled, her fingers locking into Robins as she leaned into his chest, soaking in the warmth of his body.

Emma didn't look up when she softly sang out, more to Rose than Regina "I may just do that"

They sat quietly, as Emma bounced Rose back to sleep, her lips pressing into the soft crown of her head, inhaling the baby sweet smell.

"You know, Emma. Robin and I wanted to ask you something" Regina finally broke the easy silence.

The blondes gaze flickered away, catching the chocolate brown of Regina's warm eyes with question.

"It's nothing bad right?"

Robin chuckled, "No, nothing of the sort. But it is incredibly important"

Emma's heart stammered, knowing that whenever something was _important_ it usually meant something was wrong.

"Emma, you and I haven't exactly had the easiest history together…" Regina started, shuffling nervously on the couch. A sentiment to which Emma reciprocated, forcing her gaze back down to the precious little girl in her arms. She didn't want to have to relive the past, their hatred in the beginning, the fights that ensued, the pain both inflicted on the other. They were in a good place, no a great place. Both women finally felt like they were on solid ground with the other, a family together.

"For a long time I never wanted you in my life. Hell I tried to drive you out of town on multiple occasions….but now, I can't imagine not having you here"

"Emma, if something were to happen to Regina and I.."

"Whoa whoa, nothing is going to happen, what is going on!" The blondes voice an octave higher at Robin's sudden statement.

Regina leaned forward, locking her hand into Emma's with a calming smile.

"Emma relax. Just listen for a moment"

She heaved out a hard exhale. "Okay, so you were saying…"

"If something were to happen to Regina and I, we want to know if you will be Rosie's guardian?"

Her breath stalled, eyes widening in shock "Wait what?"

"Emma, we want you to be Rosalie's god-mother…that is if you're alright with having that responsibility" Regina smiled, squeezing Emma's hand.

Their eyes locked, shining both with tears "You're serious?"

"Incredibly so" Regina commented back, her eyes falling down to her daughter who slept so peacefully inside her little cocoon "There is no one we would trust more with our daughter"

The tears fell from Emma's eyes, her heart glowing like the hot sun, pulsing through her body, creating the feeling as though she may just float away in this moment.

"Here that little Rosie, you are mine forever"

Regina laughed breathlessly, "Hey!"

Emma wiped away the tears on her cheeks, chuckling a blushing sorry.

"I take it that means you will accept?" Robin smiled, finding Regina's hand once more.

They waited for a few moments as Emma's tears continued to flow through her smile. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course" Regina sat back against the cushions, burrowing back into Robin's chest.

"Do you think soulmates can be between more than just lovers? Can they be between family members?"

Regina raised an eyebrow, "I don't honestly know, why?"

Emma bit down on her lower lip, hugging Rose tighter into her arms, swaying back and forth as she peppered kisses into the soft black hair.

"Because I think she is mine"

And who knew, maybe soulmates were really for more than just lovers, because the look in Emma's eyes told a completely different tale of love. No matter what Rosalie Jade of Locksley would be loved till the end of time.


	23. Falling into the Fire

**Prompt: About that pesky rumor and my take on what is going to happen.**

"Robin NO! There has to be another way!"

"We both know there isn't. It's alright, as long as you all get out of here safe"

Panic bubbled inside her as the cave fire engulfed the walls. Tears were thick in her eyes as she heard the others scramble and run, the rocks beginning to fall around them.

"I'm not leaving you here" Her voice trembled, voiding her of any strength she tried to possess.

"You have to Regina. I won't let you die"

"AND I WON'T LET YOU!" She threw her arms around him, hugging him in a vice grip, burying her face into the crook of his neck. His forest smell was burning in her nose, sweat beading down his neck as he held her in his arms.

"Regina, you have to go" He whispered into her ear, brushing back the long chocolate tendrils, relishing in the feeling of them one last time. She shook her head with a mumbled _no_ , her arms wrapping around his neck tighter. This couldn't be it, this wasn't their end, her heart was burning in fear over the idea of losing him.

The floor began to shake, rumbling heavy as the archway began to crack beneath them.

Robin pushed her back, "Regina, you need to leave!"

"No, Robin. I won't lose you" Her tears falling heavy onto the porcelain skin of her cheeks. Robin smiled, trying desperately to stay strong for her, not daring to let speak the fear in his own veins, the devastation in leaving her, never seeing her whiskey brown eyes, that dazzling smile, the apple vanilla smell of her hair.

His hands moved to cup her cheeks, his thumb running along her silk tear stained skin of her cheekbones, leaning in so his forehead could rest against hers. She was trembling beneath him, clutching to his forearms, where his lion tattoo lay beneath. The symbol that brought them together, even though he already knew he loved her before hearing of their destined fate.

"You can't do this. I can find another way"

"There is no other way"

Through her blurred vision she found his crystal blue eyes, her fingers moving to scratch his blonde stubble, the other hand moving to rest above his heart.

"What about our family, our kids? What am I to tell them?"

"You'll tell them, their father died saving their mother, and he wouldn't have had it another way"

"Robin no" she cried out.

The cave thundered as the first cement block falling into the fire pit. He turned back, seeing time running out before him. "Regina, please. We both aren't making it out of here. Hades demanded a soul, and it has to be mine"

"You can't do this to me, I just found you, I just got you back" Sobs wracked through her as she scrambled to hold him tighter "We haven't even had time just to be together".

"I know my love and for that I am so sorry. But Regina, don't ever forget that I love you"

She cried through his omission, they hadn't said those three words to each other, though she knew in her heart that she loved him, and he loved her. Time had been stolen from them, over and over again.

"I have loved you since the day you fell back into the Enchanted Forest. Through your stubbornness, I loved you. I've seen you fight against ever obstacle and win. I love how you opened your heart to my son, given him a mother when he had none. I love every part of you, and I'm sorry I've never told you before. I should have said it every day since I met you"

He couldn't stop the tears that now fell from his eyes. The block behind his feet plummeted, sending a torrent of flames up. He grabbed her waist, stepping her further back, towards the fading portal.

"No, Robin, please just come with me!"

"I can't Regina, Hades will come after you and our boys. I can't let that happen"

Her heart was shattering into pieces as she held onto him, trying desperately to cling to him, forcing him to step back with her. He held firm, pushing her back gently as the cave crumbled around them.

"Regina…."

His words were cut off by her lips, pressing furiously into his. He kissed her back, with as much love and passion he could exude. Feeling their souls embrace one last time. He could taste the salt on her lips, the shake of her body in his hands clenching his heart painfully.

"Robin, I love you. Please don't leave me" she mumbled out, choking on each word.

She felt his thighs press into her own, guiding her feet backwards slowly. She fought back, trying to hold firm in her place, but he was stronger, shuffling them back towards the fading portal.

He parted their lips, finding her eyes once more, smiling through his tears as he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "You Regina Mills, are the love of my life. I can't thank you enough for letting me love you and for loving me back"

"Please, please don't do this"

He leaned in catching her lips for the last time "You are truly stunning in every way, My Love"

A boulder fell from the ceiling, shaking them from their embrace. He took that moment of distraction, his hand firmly placed on her torso as he pushed her back, feeling her fall into the portal as she screamed for him. He watched her fade, disappear into the tunnel, seeing her eyes streaming with tears as she fell.

The fires stormed around him as the last block under his feet fell, vaulting him down into the fire pits of hell. Then it all went black, like smoke. It shocked him there was no pain, no searing burning on his skin, or tearing of his body.

She sat against the window, staring like a statue into the outdoors. 3 days had passed and she hadn't moved, hadn't slept, refused to touch any of the plates of food that were constantly set beside her. Emptiness, that was the only thing she felt. Her eyes were dry like a desert from the relentless tears that fell, her lips chapped from dehydration. Exhaustion roamed her body, but every time her eyes shut all she saw was his eyes, the last thing she could cling to of his, smiling through their tears as she fell back.

It didn't matter who came to see her, what they said, how hard they tried to break through to her. He was gone and she was lost without him. Thank god for the Charmings, for Emma and the Merry Men. They had taken up looking after Roland and Henry. She couldn't even bring herself to look at them.

The sun was starting to set, another day of heartache tearing her soul apart. She shuffled, drawing up the blanket that still lingered with his forest smell. She couldn't let him go, wearing his shirt, sipping the whiskey he loved. How was she supposed to ever feel whole again, to feel love like he had brought out in her.

She didn't hear the shuffle of feet behind her, barely registered the woman that sat down along her side on the couch. Their fingers felt cold and slender.

"Regina?"

Her heart stuttered at their voice, she inhaled sharp, turning her eyes from the window to find her mother sitting beside her. Confusion flooded her as she stared at the older woman.

"Mother?" her words shaky and dry.

"Hello my love" Cora smiled, gripping her daughters' hands. Regina flinched, pulling her hands away as she frowned heavy.

"How are you here?"

Cora sighed, seeing how frail Regina had become, the dark circles under her eyes, the grey pallor of her skin. "You're not well Regina"

She rolled her eyes, staring back out the window "Go away Mother" she huffed, tugging her safety blanket closer around her.

"Do you remember what my unfinished business in the Underworld was Regina?"

She said nothing back, feeling the tears flood into her eyes once more, unable to control them as they fell.

"It was you Regina, ensuring your happiness"

"I can't ever be happy again... I lost him" she choked out, struggling to bring oxygen into her frozen lungs.

"Regina, I haven't always been the best mother. I just wanted the best for you, even if it clouded my judgement"

Cora sighed heavy through her guilt "I took away your first love, forced you to be the Queen when I shouldn't have"

Regina trembled through her pain, willing silently her mother would just stop talking and leave her alone.

"I took away your happiness once, but I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I want to bring your happy ever after back again"

"You Can't" she whispered feeling the ache in her heart, breaking what was left holding her together.

Cora smiled, signaling beyond Regina's vision to the door way with a slight nod of her head. She stole her daughter's life once before, but there still one last chance she could make it up to her.

"I hope you can forgive me Regina"

Cora stood, pressing a gentle kiss into the forehead of her daughter who sat frozen like a statue, unrelenting to move as her tears continued to fall.

Regina sat silently, staring back out the window as that emptiness swam through her heart once more. There was no way to be happy again. She lost love once, and now had lost it again. Even Henry couldn't pull her dying soul back to life. She leaned heavy against the cushions, feeling colder than ever.

"M'lady?"

Her heart stammered, as she froze. Her eyes squeezed shut tight, trying to faze out the torture of hearing his voice. The couch sank beside her, a warmth soothing into her arms where hands began to glide. She could feel his hand cup her cheek, pulling her face towards him. But she wouldn't open her eyes, fearing that when she did, it would all be a horrific illusion, to feel him here when he couldn't be.

"Regina, My Love. Open your eyes"

She shook her head, sinking deeper into the false embrace of him.

"It's alright Regina"

"No it's not"

"Why My Love?"

She shuddered, "because if I do open my eyes, you won't be here. You're a figment of my imagination"

She felt his ghost lean in, the feeling of his lips so real against her own as he pressed into her, carding his fingers through her hair. Her body reacted on it's own accord leaning into his kiss, letting the façade hold her for a moment longer.

Her eyes fluttered open involuntarily and there they were. Crystal clear like the ocean, flecks of greens and golds, smiling down at her.

"Hi" he whispered,

Her hand fell down to his heart, feeling the steady beating beneath. She began to cry again, out of confusion and fury that her mind would let this feel so real.

"You're not real, you can't be" she sobbed.

"I am Regina. We are here, this is true" He pulled her into his arms, gently cradling her head to his chest.

"How?" she trembled.

"Your mother saved me"

She frowned, as the realization dawned on her at the words her mother just spoke moments before.

The woman who had once destroyed everything, had brought back her happy ending.


	24. Chocolate Cake

**Prompt:** Emma and Regina are cooking when chocolate cake falls hits Regina as it falls and an interesting food fight ensues with Killian and Robin

Well to say she ever thought she would be cooking dinner with the Savior while her pirate boy toy drank whiskey with a man who was her soulmate was definitely not a scenario Regina ever thought she'd be in. But here she was, cleaning up dishes with the blonde drying them beside her as chocolate cake baked in the oven. It had been more of Henry's idea than anything, both women knew that, but either could actually deny that it had been a really enjoyable night. Minus the first 5 or so minutes of awkwardness in the beginning, their entire night had gone by without a hitch.

They laughed, drank more heavily than anyone had intended, but who could blame them, when Robin pulled out a bottle of 1964 Whiskey, smooth and literally begging to be drank. It had marked Regina as curious that even though she had a past, a somewhat unpleasant past with both Hook and Emma, they were at complete ease in her company, poking and jesting her with harpy laughs. Thank God she had Robin beside her on a few of Hooks rather racy comments which in his growing drunken state focused more and more on the rather revealing dresses he had been so privy to in the Enchanted Forest.

Robin could only chuckle, knowing exactly what the Queen's wardrobe could do to a red blooded man. Bend them to her will, simple as that. But as Mayor, her clothing choices had been much more subdue, pants and blouses, the occasional dress that while accentuated her curves, rarely showed off any skin.

Regina scoffed, choking down on her glass of whiskey when Hook candidly remarked boldly that he rather missed the "displays" of her dress. A comment that earned him a solid punch from Emma, and a snort from Robin. It was then Regina had excused herself, clearing up their plates and wandering into the kitchen, Emma following close behind.

They chatted aimlessly, mainly about Henry, or the Charmings who apparently were getting on Emma's last nerve about her and Hook. Regina snickered, "Well maybe the two of you should actually move in together, that would alleviate their constant prodding"

The blonde groaned, drying a few glasses in silence.

"Do you not want to?" Regina questioned.

With a heavy sigh, Emma set down the rag "It's not that I don't want to, it's just…..I've never had a relationship that went anywhere, and moving in seems so, I dunno…crazy, bold, permanent"

"You're saying Robin and I are crazy?"

"NO! No, you guys are literally made for one another, pixie dust and all that stuff….but me and Hook. I mean I love him, I just….."

"It's scary, I understand, probably more than anyone"

Emma exhaled heavy as Regina focused back on cleaning the soapy dishes.

"Are you happy?"

Regina's eyes sparked open, turning to find Emma's blushing face "I've never thought I could actually be this happy" she replied truthfully with a shy smile.

They continued in a comfortable silence, until the timer on the oven beeped, signalling the chocolate cake was ready. Regina removed it from the oven, letting it cool for a moment on the counter, hearing the laughs from their men in the living room ghost around her.

"Are you happy Emma?" she broke the quiet.

"Yeah. I guess. I mean I've never had a family, or someone who literally loved me enough to put his life in danger….Hook is…."

"He's Hook" Regina finished with a chuckle.

"True" Emma replied, tossing the drying cloth on the counter, before pouring her and Regina each a glass of red wine.

"We should probably take this out to them before they are to drunk to even taste it" Regina minded, reaching to grab the dessert.

Emma jumped, "Here let me".

It was to quick, a small little shove and pull that sent the cake flying straight into the crimson blouse of Regina's chest, covering her in the dark icing.

She gasped, arms flying up as the warm dessert coated her skin, standing frozen at the mess that soaked her skin.

"Oh my god Regina, I'm so sorry!" Emma huffed out, reaching to grab the fallen cake on the ground.

"No, it's fine…."

"I just ruined your dessert, Fuck. I'm an idiot"

"Emma relax it's okay, just hand me the dish rag"

The blonde turned grabbing the cloth, but when she turned around he froze on the spot, Regina's blouse was completely off, leaving the stunning brunette in a black lace camisole, with apparently no bra underneath.

"Uhhh, here" she threw the cloth at the older woman.

"Relax Emma, I'm not coming onto you" Regina smiled, obviously seeing the shock in the blonde's eyes. A sudden mischievous side roared its head, wanting to break the uncomfortableness that had set around them.

She didn't see it coming till the brown mix hit her square in the jaw.

"REGINA!"

"See now we are both a mess"

"You are sooooo going to pay for that!"

Well, Regina had started it, and by the time Robin and Hook had come wandering into the kitchen wondering what the racket was, both Emma and Regina were covered in the chocolate mixture, laughing uncontrollably through their offense attacks and defensive flails.

"I thought we were intended to eat the dessert?" Hook stammered out, eyes glued to Emma's form, her blouse slightly unbuttoned.

Regina turned on the spot, smiling breathlessly as Robin's eyes devoured her.

"It's Emma Fault"

"HEY!" the blonde cried out.

Regina shrugged, moving over to her statue of a thief, her finger trailing down her open chocolate covered creamed skin, before lifting the finger to his mouth which he immediately obeyed, sucking off the desert as Regina giggled.

Turning from his heady gaze, she glided back to the cake, arching an eyebrow at the Pirate who was completely stunned, with a crooked smile. "Don't you want a taste Hook? I know how you hate to feel left out" She smiled deviously.

What had come over her she wasn't entirely sure, but something about tonight had moved her into a new place, one where she was utterly comfortable, for once in her life. She turned, lifting a blob of icing on her finger before turning to Emma and spreading the mixture on her lips.

"It is pretty addictive" Emma drawled out, eyeing her pirate as she licked her chocolate ridden lips. He was on her in a moment, sucking and lapping up the dessert from her mouth, groaning into the flavor of her.

Regina moaned as Robins lips found her neck, sucking lightly on the pulse point behind her ear. Thank god they were all rather drunk and could blame this sudden endeavor on the alcohol in the morning.

"AYE!" Hook roared, finding his face suddenly slapped with chocolate cake, Emma grinning at the advance as her hands patted his dessert covered stubble.

"It looks good on you" Regina chuckled, rolling her hips back into Robin's groin. His fingers tightened on her torso, gripping the silk black camisole that obstructed him from feeling her skin.

Hook arched an eyebrow, licking the mixture from the corner of his lips. "I imagine not quite as good as it would look on your outlaw"

The war was one, as chunks of cake flew between the four adults, splattering and smacking into hair, clothing and skin. For how long they played, none knew, until they were all laying on the kitchen floor, laughing breathlessly, Regina cradled into Robins arms, as Hook rested his head on Emma's stomach.

"Well that was an interesting way to end the night" Robin smirked, brushing Regina's dark locks behind her ear.

"Do not tell Henry this happened, he will never let us live this down" Regina huffed, knowing exactly the look her son would give her.

"Deal" Emma agreed instantly.

After a few minutes, they stood "We should probably go, and take a shower" The blonde murmured out, brushing off the cake from her blue shirt.

"Aye, I shower sounds lovely" Hook moved to kiss her temple.

Regina and Robin walked the pair to the door, fingers interlaced as they bid their guests goodnight.

"Hang on" Regina moved towards Emma with a smirk, her finger lifting to wipe of the excess of chocolate from the Blondes cheek. The licked the finger clean, an action that earned a heavy groan from both male parties.

"Emma, love we really need to go take that shower, now" Hook gripped her hand, bidding Robin a fast parting before pulling Emma through the door who was laughing at his incessant neediness.

The door clicked shut, Robins arms circled around his girl once again, breathing in her apple scent now heavily ridden with chocolate aroma.

"That was cruel My love" he whispered into her ear.

Regina turned, cupping his cheeks, finding his ocean blue eyes she could drown in within a second. "He deserved it after all the remarks over my cleavage in the Enchanted Forest"

Robin hummed, pulling her into a languid kiss, revealing in the tight moan that vibrated in Regina's throat.

"I have to agree with him though" he mumbled into her mouth, his hands gliding up and down her near bare back. "Those outfits were incredibly intoxicating, especially with you being the one to wear them"

Regina chuckled, kissing his lips once more before pulling back, sending a wave of magic into the kitchen, cleaning the mess without a second thought.

"Come on thief, I think we need a shower ourselves" She grinned, tugging at the waist of his jeans.

"As her Majesty wishes"

Who knew, chocolate cake was such a good idea.


	25. Mark Me

Magic had always been a touchy subject for him, for years he had detested it, but now, it was something much more pure to his heart, for she was the one who wielded it. What it could do, he knew had very little limits, but he loved the small wisps that danced from her fingers tips at meaningless things, the glittering that fell around him on certain occasions, and most especially he loved the purple smoke that engulfed their bodies when it was desirably necessary.

So yes, magic had become a part of his life, a part to which he fully was beginning to embrace. Her body leaned into his chest, letting her honey vanilla scent coat his soul, her curves melting into his hard planes. Nights like this were far to precious, the quiet peace of just being together, holding her close, letting his lips roam her silk skin.

She chuckled at the tickling of his beard on her jaw, squirming slightly in his arms as she readjusted to feel him more, while still keeping a hazy focus on the paper resting in her lap. Her eyes flickered down to his tattoo, her heart glowing at it's distinction that committed her soul to his, and visa versa. It had been days before, well rather months in the Enchanted Forest, she already knew she was falling in love with him, no pixie dust needed to cement that fact in her mind. He had told her much the same, revealing he knew he loved her before they landed in Storybrooke.

Her fingers danced gently along it's dark lines, trailing a simple path of comfort around it's edges. He sighed into her neck, hugging her fractionally tighter into his arms. This woman was everything he never knew he had needed.

They sat softly together, as she moved back to the blank pad in front of her, letting her magic seep into the quill for a moment. His eyes were closed, but he could hear the scratching of ink on her paper and then there was this sudden heated prickling sensation on his lower bicep. He groaned in confusion, as the feeling of warm wax sunk into his skin. Turning he lifted his arm, and was shocked to find the smallest new marking.

A black crown appeared, thin as a thread, with three pointed crests and faded in diamonds in the rounding. He saw her eyes move down to his arm, her smile small and shy as her hand continued to sketch the paper below. The warming pins came back, a slowly two arrows appeared, crossing over one another, pointing to his shoulder beneath the crown as if holding it up.

She chuckled as her fingers grazed the new marking on his skin for a moment before she leaned down over the marking, kissing it softly before gently blowing a cold breath over it, letting the tattoo fade.

"Wait" he shuffled, stalling the erasing "Keep it there"

Her eyebrow arched high in question as she turned to face him, knees settling over his hips, palms pressing into his chest. He stared into her eyes, falling further into their depths as she smiled that one smile that set his heart on fire.

"You like it?" her voice barely above a whisper.

He reached up, catching her lips, revealing in the small moan that vibrated in her throat. "Very much so" he mumbled against her parted mouth.

She sighed into him, before settling back down against the cushions, as he picked up her pen and pad himself, cocking a playful eyebrow at her.

"Your turn" he grinned.

It spread against her ribs, just under her bra strap, warm candle wax, dancing like a smalls pins. She exhaled as the sensation began to fade, opening her previously closed eyes to his smile. His fingers traced the bottom of her silk tank, nudging it up gently, revealing skin inch by inch, till the marking was within his view.

He smirked, biting down on his lower lip as she watched him with a heated gaze, arching slightly as he bent down to press a kiss into the new symbol.

"We match" he ghosted on her ribs, letting his tongue have a slight teasing taste. She shuffled, rolling slightly to find an identical tattoo to the one that now was embedded on his arm.

"You can remove it if you wish" He nodded, understanding she may not want such permanence on her body. Her arms wound around his neck, as she pulled her body back to sit into his lap, his hands finding purchase on her hips.

"I like it" she smiled moments before catching his lips again, the pen and paper falling to the carpet as their passion began to ignite.

Yes, Robin Hood never was a fan of magic, until he met the right wielder of it.

And as days, months and years passed, she would find herself sitting in her office, with the familiar heated glow beginning to rise on her skin, and she couldn't help but smile at the at the small words that formed, the tiny drawings that painted her body, or simple messages of his love that etched her skin.

And while she may not have kept them all, a few did remain, telling the story of their love for anyone's eyes to see.


	26. Power Struggles

She was pissed, and rightfully so at the two of them. Successfully they had scratched, marked, bruised and made her back throb, and not in the good next day post orgasm kind of way. No, it was the exact opposite, forcing her to actually use an icepack to help with the pain. So yes, she is pissed at them. This, whatever it was had been going on for a few months now, starting off with seductive gazes, whispers of touches before Regina finally cracked, and long conversations over how it could work, what would make it progress or digress had come. Sitting in her living room, she fed them scotch on the rocks, easing Robin's nerves and trying to calm Mals' aggressive nature.

It was going to be interesting, that was for certain, exciting, pulling from her past and her present lovers. When their nights led them together in her large bed, she felt as though she was being pulled in two different directions, burning in a fire as the thick lips of the dragon sucked her skin while drowning in the steady sea of pleasure in her soulmates hands. They focused solely on her, rarely touching each other and while initially she adored being the center of their attention, she'd begun to notice an odd power struggle happening… _hence the ice pack that has now gone luke warm…_

She heard the click of her office door behind her and knew immediately from the spiced cologne smell that invaded her rose filtered office of their apologies. She exhaled heavy, waiting for his next sorry's but they didn't come, instead he sat against her window sill, across from her now, holding a brand new freshly chilled ice bag. She mumbled a thank you, switching the packs and sighing as the cold radiated into her muscles again.

He looked like a shamed little child who was caught breaking something as he fiddled with the ring on his left finger. They had gotten married about a year ago, a simple forest affair. She waited for him to speak, staring at him with an stone pan of her whiskey eyes. They were at a dead lock for minutes, before Regina rolled her eyes "Are you here to say you're sorry again, or is there something else?"

He sighed "Regina, I am sorry"

"You've said as much"

He shuffled his feet "I know, but I just…."

"Just what Robin? Felt the need to assert your dominance over me?"

"No…"

"Claim me as your own?"

"No!"

"Then what?"

He groaned shamefully, moving to kneel in front of her, grasping her hands in his own, bringing them to his lips. She hated (that was a lie…she loved it) how he could soothe the anger that bubbled deep within her with a simple action. Sometimes it was his infuriatingly heart melting smile, a gentle calming press of his palm on her back, or the ease of his lips on her skin.

"Can I ask why the sudden change in your actions?"

The look in his eyes sent a chill through her heart, she knew that look, what it meant.

"Regina, I feel like I have lost you more times that I have had you….we've been separated, faced death, dealt with what seemed as impossible barriers to break, and while I know that you and I are solid, true or whatever…I can't shake the feeling that something or someone is going to take you away from me again"

She reached down to cup his cheek, scratching the blonde stubble of his jaw. "You're not going to lose me to Mal"

He huffed a breath "I know, I just…I guess I got jealous, possessive even. And you are no object, no trophy of mine to parade…"

His words were cut off by the press of her lips to his.

"Mal is possessive in her own right. She was the person I ran to when I was married to the King. She became my only friend, and then some. A time ago, I loved her, and she loved me."

The grip on her fingers tightened as she continued "but, that was my past, you are my future, and I won't let anyone take that away from me again. Understood?"

He smiled, finally, straightening to catch her lips once more.

Apparently, that's all he needed, a small bit of reassurance from her because here they were again, his wife rolling her hips to gain from friction between her legs as the blonde straddled her hips, devouring her mouth.

He simply let it happen, let them lose themselves in each other, his hands running gently over a trembling bare thigh, across the expanse of a naked back.

"You're rather docile tonight" the dragon growled as she pressed her hips harder into Regina's.

Robin smiled somewhat smug in his own right before leaning over to catch Maleficent in a surprising kiss, sucking on her lower lip, nipping it before pulling back, aware of Regina's heated gaze beside him.

He settled back into the cushions, winking quickly at Regina who beamed at the blondes' slight confusion to the relinquishing of the woman below her by the man across. Well his loss she huffed turning her attentions back to Regina. In the end either party lost, all three panting on the bed, sweat ridden and the room torching with the smell of sex. Regina's body was buzzing as she chuckled, curling into Robins' chest but still holding onto Mals hand.

This was better, much much better.


	27. Forgiveness

**Forgiveness**

She'd noticed the concern in his eyes, slouch of his shoulders, the minimal distant responses he gave as his mind wandered somewhere else. They were all standing in the loft once more, waiting for Emma and Rumple to hopefully return with Hook. An hour prior, Regina and Snow had walked to the cemetery to find Daniel's grave. She sat in the grass, running her hand along the granite stone, battling between a flicker of sadness she wasn't going to get an opportunity to see him, but ever so thankful that he had moved on to a better place. Her mind lingered on his last words, a begging plea for her to love again, and her heart smiled at the fact she had done just that, found love, lost it, but fought to get it back. Daniel would have liked Robin, of that she had no doubt, the two were ironically similar in their gentle smiles, sweet spoken words and fierce protective nature over her.

What Regina didn't know what that behind her, a few rows back leaning against a large oak tree was her thief. Even when she told him she and Snow would be fine, he simply couldn't take the chance something could happen and he wasn't there for her. So he waited, and followed, finding her kneeling at the tombstone. He could hear her talking to him, telling him how much she loved him, would always love him but was thankful he was in a better place. His heart ached for her, the pain of her past continued to haunt her at every turn. But there was also a different reason for the burning ache inside, a longing desire to also find absolution for someone in his past.

He watched as Regina stood, and found Snow ahead of her, the pair walking back to the town, arms linked together. He thought of following but there was a pull in another direction, so he went left instead of forward. Rows upon rows of headstones, names of people he didn't know, had heard of, met once or twice, a few friends. He stopped frozen for a moment seeing the names of his parents carved into granite, both stones tipped over, they were gone, together in the place everyone seeks in the end. He continued till a dark brown citrine headstone came into view. He knew it was hers. Sighing heavily, the name sunk into his heart heavy like an anchor… _Marian Elaine Locksley_. It stood tall, she was here but where he hadn't a clue, and the group was so focused on finding Hook he couldn't wish it upon them to take on finding another lost soul.

A tear fell and he brushed it away quickly, he wasn't really sure what to say, to the woman he once loved beyond anything in the world, his best friend, his partner in crime, the mother of his son. There was so much he wanted to say, had thought about it since the fake Marian turned out to be Zelena. What he would say to her know, how he would ask her forgiveness for not seeing the truth, but no words came out.

Maybe he didn't deserve to be forgiven.

He'd walked back to the apartment in silence, clicking the door open to be greeted by a pair of concerned eyes under her smile. Their fingers interlaced as her question passed silently to him, to which the only response he could muster was a small smile back and a shake of his head. He leaned into her temple, inhaling the honey vanilla of her hair as his lips pressed lightly into her.

She could feel the tension in his shoulders, rigidity in his spine, hard pulls of air, riddled in anguish. Why he was so tangibly sad, so god forsakenly low, Regina did not know, and it punctured her. She should be able to take care of him, to bring a smile to his face, lighten his load, as he does for her. Arriving back from the cemetery, David and Henry said Robin had gone for a walk, that he seemed a bit off kilter after Regina and Snow had left.

Henry peppered her with questions about Daniel; did she see him?, had he moved on?, what did she say to him? The melancholy thick in her voice over the fact she didn't get to see his face, nor hear his voice, ask for his forgiveness - but she felt, better, less guilt ridden she supposes, happier she had the chance to at least tell him everything she wanted too. At that moment Robin's hand pulsed in her own, a quick squeeze before he left go, slowly making his way up the stairs with nothing but a quiet muffled _good night._

That's when it hit her, with the thick exhale from Robin as he left, understanding rang into her mind.

Marian.

He wanted to find Marian.

Here they all were, findings Emma's Pirate, Regina making peace with her father and first love, and Robin was here, dutifully beside her, while wrestling with his own needs to feel absolution. She ached for him.

The conversation died, and Regina excused herself early, cracking open their bedroom door to find Robin sitting on it's edge, head buried into his hands.

Sitting down beside him, it's automatic that she begins tracing the tattoo with her fingers,around the crest border, into the small details of the white lion inside. It' eases her mind in moments when the dark clouds seem to heavy, and not once has Robin ever pulled away from her tailings.

He stiffens slightly next to her, shaking his head near imperceptibly at her whispered _tell me_ into his temple.

"I found her headstone, she's here"

"We can find her too you know"

"I can't ask you all to help me find her when we haven't even found Hook yet"

She leaned in to rest her chin on his shoulder, "Robin, being down here means we all have an opportunity to find resolve and forgiveness, that includes you"

"I'm not sure I deserve her forgiveness" his voice barely above a whisper, cracked and disjointed as he stares at their joined hands, thumbing the ring on her right hand, momentarily wondering what it would look like on the left instead.

Removing one hand from his, she turns to cup his cheek, forcing him to look at her. The pain in his eyes breaking her heart - "If I can find forgiveness from those that I love, so can you". She pressed softly into his lips, chaste and quick, but leaving a lingering promise to them - "I'll help you find her if that is what you wish".

Sighing heavily he leans enough for his forehead to rest against hers. He does want to find Marian, but what he would say, is does not know. How he would ask her forgiveness, beg of it in truth, it's lost on him. It may be best if they don't find her, he can bury this pill of guilt somewhere deep, lock it away tight and focus on his life now, with his family and Regina; who has yet to cease carding her soft hands through his hair, scratching lightly in the way that is settling his knotted heart.

Their moment is interrupted by the sharp bang of the apartment door opening, a happy bubble laugh of Snow White, followed by jubilance as apparently Hook and Emma strolled in, hand in hand, beaming, back together.

So much to taking care of Robin's anguish, she groans, kissing his cheek, once, twice, three times till she see's a slight puckering of his dimples behind a crooked smile.

"Think about it, okay?"

He nods and lets her pull him back downstairs.

..

…

….

A few hours passed as Hook told his story, the plan that Hades has, the need for them all to leave as soon as possible. They needed to find Rumple and fast, time was not on their side.

Deciding to split up and taking different areas of the town, hoping to locate the Dark One before Hades found them, the loft is suddenly bare, with partners darting off in a flurry of directions.

..

…

….

They walked in silence, fingers linked lightly, a gentle swing in their arms, bringing a strange youthfulness between them, but Regina can see it in Robin's eyes, the defeat behind his strength. The new race to leave the underworld has taken away their opportunity to look for Marian. She know its, and sadly so does Robin. But he put on a brave face, silently condemning himself to this guilt as they searched.

"Robin?"

Freezing at the voice behind them, his heart skips a beat as his eyes squeeze shut. A tremor in his palm that holds onto Regina's like a vice as his name is called out once more. Regina does turn first, breathing out relief quietly, "turn around" - he doesn't, can't, just shakes his head and grips her hand tighter.

"It's okay" She whispers, guiding him to move as his head hangs low though he is not willing to look up, not quite yet.

He hears the footsteps draw near as she calls out to him again, softer this time "Robin…It's me!" - he can hear the tears in her voice as she grips his shoulder, pulling him in, the softness in her hands cupping his face. She smells like … like years he's long forgotten; cotton and wild flowers.

Regina felt her fingers slip from his as he finally opened his eyes to his ex-wife who was beaming through her tears, a chuckling wet laugh parting between the reunited pair as they hold each other like life lines.

A sudden flash of memory running through her, the diner roaring into her mind, it's complete deja-vu. She knows she shouldn't feel the fear that is burning inside her again, but it is there all the same as she watches Robin and Marian embrace, his arms wrapping tightly around the brunette, tears falling from their eyes as they hug and hug and hug.

Stepping away, Regina blinks back her own tears that have brimmed on her eyelashes. This is what he was supposed to have, they fit so perfectly together, both light and loving, so contrasted from her own broken damaged puzzle piece.

Falling behind them, a swell of sadness brews as she watches Robin brush back long thick waves of hair behind Marians ears, breathing in her beautiful face. Their words are lost to her as she continues to put distance between herself and them, a mumbling conversation that can't penetrate the buzzing her her head.

She turns, about to walk down the street, letting them have a moment to themselves. She barely makes it a few steps before a warm hand grabbed her elbow, Robin looking at her questioningly at where she was about to go. She stutters, flicking her eyes back to Marian who waits in the not so far off distance - "it's okay, you can have some time with her, I'm fine"

He smiles, pulling her back into his body "I'm not letting you walk away this time Regina". She shakes slightly as he kisses her cheek, a flush of anxiety bubbling as he locks their fingers together, securing her to him and tugs her back to where Marian awaits, shuffling equally anxiously as they approach, her eyes trained on Regina as if trying to decipher out what to say.

It ends up with a simple "hello" and a meek smile.

"Regina, this is Marian"

It sounds silly, Robin knows that, but this was a chance to fix everything that had gone wrong in the past, to start a new path, one with honesty and honour.

"Marian, this is Regina"

Marian extends out a hand "It's nice to meet you Your Majesty"

"Just Regina, please. It's nice to meet you as well Marian" she meets her in the middle, feeling the warm softness of the other woman's hand gently grasping her own.

They smile and Robin's heart swells. Their hands drop but the smiles never do. Robin took it upon himself to fill the quiet moments, telling Marian of his life, the curse that brought he and Regina together, Storybrooke and everything it entailed. She listened with a frown when he spoke of why they were in the underworld, a quest to find a friends' true love.

Regina bit down on her lower lip, her hands wringing slightly together.

"What's wrong Regina?" Robin questioned.

"Marian, if you're here, that means you have unfinished business…."

The brunette sighs, looking up at Robin with a sad longing gaze "I guess. I died and never knew if you and Roland were alright"

Regina's heart sank, in the true timeline, she had been the one to execute Marian, but thanks to Hook and Emma, that burden was now Zelena's and poor sweet Marian had been a puppet in the wicked witches malicious plan.

It was unfair to her and Regina's guilt flared like wild fire.

"I'm sorry Marian, for everything I did. I stole your chance to go home to your family". Her heart burned as her eyes cast downward in shame. If it wasn't for her being a villain, hell bent on revenge, she wouldn't have destroyed another family, this family, and no matter how hard she was trying, her past would always follow like a dark shadow.

Robin's hand squeezes hers in comfort, they had talked about this, her past, till the sun rose, he had been the one to give her the forgiveness she didn't think she deserved, but standing in front of the actual life she stole, it suddenly made no difference that he had absolved her.

"Life isn't always fair Regina, I understand that. And truth be told, I wasn't exactly a saint in the Enchanted Forest either. The day that your knights caught me, I was helping Snow White escape, I knew the dangers and I also knew that if I could get close enough to you, that maybe I could be the one to end the reign of the Evil Queen" Marian confesses with a heavy sigh, avoiding the blue eyes that lift in shock at the omission.

For years he thought she had died when he and the Merry Men had looted Maleficent's castle. They were over run with guards and he never actually saw Marian die, but his Merry Men had dragged him out of the fight and fire. They had lost 5 men that day, 5 brothers and Marian.

"You survived that day?"

"I did, the black knights took me to the Queen's Castle but I escaped one night, and ran into Snow at a cottage. They were on us in a week's time, and I helped her escape capture by letting myself be caught as a diversion"

Regina stood frozen to the spot beside an equally stunned Robin.

"It's ironic isn't it? Life. I played a part in the attempted murder of the Queen, who nearly executing me instead, and correct me if I am wrong, is the same woman who is my husband's soulmate" She chuckled awkwardly at the last few words. "Not everything is as black and white as Hero's and Villains are made out to be" she smiles at Regina who can do nothing but stare back in confused awe.

Robin echoes Marians laugh, heartily agreeing that " it seems whoever is writing our story has quite a twisted sense of humor"

"Indeed. But…." Marian stepped forward, reaching out to grab Regina's locked hands, slowly prying them into her own. "…I need to also say thank you" she smiled as brown chocolate eyes met whiskey ones.

"Thank me? For what?" Regina stumbled in uncertainty.

"Well if it wasn't for you, Robin wouldn't have found his second chance at happiness. And that's all I could wish for him and my son"

A tear falls from Regina's eyes as she smiled shyly back at Marian. This was not the conversation she had been expecting to be having.

"It wasn't exactly love at first sight, what with her majesty here being quite a pain in the ass in the first few months" Robin chuckles, bumping his shoulder into Regina's who blushes.

"Yes well, you aren't exactly a patron saint in your own right Robin Hood" Marian chided back.

He scoffed playfully "I am nothing but if not loveable"

Regina coughed through a snicker, earning a raised eyebrow from her love.

"What? I am!" He defended.

She hummed back in jest "After you get over your irritating nature and forest smell, I suppose you are somewhat likeable"

"Just Likeable?" He prodded back, his dimples flashing.

Her heart swells, knowing that while maybe they hadn't said _those_ words to one another, they both know just how much they truly do love each other.

"How's Roland?" Marian breaks the moment unknowingly

"He's incredible" Regina answers "So full of light, truth be told I fell in love with him first. It was impossible not to, he brought back happiness for me, after I lost so much, plus his chubby dimpled face doesn't hurt"

Marian eyes fall into a flicker of longing sadness, "I wish I could have met him"

"You'd be so proud of our son" Robin reaches over to grip her hand. "he looks quite a lot like you actually, minus my charming dimples, but he is most definitely your son, stubborn attitude and all" he smirks, earning a half hearted scowl from both women.

Regina shuffles in her pocket, pulling out her phone, scanning quickly as Robin continues to relay little moments her of their son and his adventurous spirit.

"This is him" She turns the phone over to Marian, who hesitates for a moment, not understanding what the device is.

Encouraging gently, "It's a picture I took a few months ago" and the phone passes hands and Marian breathing a thick sigh as the photo glowed out.

There he was, her son, just as Regina described. He was sitting in a pile of leaves, beside Robin who was beaming at him. True to their words, he looked much like her, curly brown hair underneath a green hat, bright brown chocolate eyes squinting in happiness as thick set dimples cratered his chubby cheeks. She laughed seeing he was missing two teeth, no longer a baby, but a beautiful little boy. Wiping a few tears away as she stares at the image, a sudden feeling of peace rolls through her body.

They were good, they were loved and that's what she needed to know.

"Thank You" she cries softly, handing the phone back to Regina who was wiping away her own tears.

Robin moves over, pressing a soft kiss to Marians temple, hugging her gently as she leaned into his chest.

"I promise to never let him forget who you are" he shuffles, holding her hands to his chest. It's a simple bittersweet "Thank You" in return, before Marian turning back to Regina, reaching out again to find her hand "And thank you….for taking care of them"

Regina swallows thickly, nodding through the wetness in her eyes, unable to find the right words to say, but knowing that Marian understands anyway.

"Here, you should have this" She sniffed, waving her hand over the phone, a small frame appearing in the other woman's hand. "To take with you, wherever you go". Marian beams at the duplicate photo of her baby boy and husband, the tears fresh falling once more. Locking brown eyes to brown eyes she steps forward, pulling Regina into her arms tight, hugging the woman that maybe once had taken much away, but in the end had given her what she needed.

Regina wrapped her arms around Marian, breathing hard into the embrace, her cheeks tingling with falling tears.

"I'll keep them safe, I promise" she quietly promises into Marians ear, a sentiment only for her.

"I know you will"

..

…

….

That's when it happened, the white glow began below them, encircling Marian's feet as they parted. It glowed and grew around her torso, a warm soothing cascade swarming her heart.

"What's happening?" Robin sudden tone concerned, as he watched the light engulf Marian, who only smiled, reaching out to pat his cheek, and catching his eyes softly "I'm moving on, to a better place"

Robin leaned into her palm, lifting her other hand to his lips as he kissed her knuckles in goodbye, yet not able to actually say the words themselves. Regina watched with a newfound lightness in her heart, as the white light glimmered like the sun, gently guiding Marian to where she needed to be, her figure fading as she smiled one last time at Robin who held her hands till the very last moment, and then she was gone.

..

…

….

She waited for his tears, his pain and sorrow over losing her again, biting down on her lower lip, stealing herself to be ready to console his breaking heart. It shocks her when his hands move to cup her cheeks, tilting her face to meet his and he was smiling, brightly through unshed happy tears.

And he kisses her. Soft and yet full bodied.

She melts right into him, a hand finding its way to his chest, settling over the beating of his heart, steady and strong, the other linking around his neck gently.

"Thank You Regina"

It may not have come from an expected source, but it was forgiveness all the same and Regina felt lighter than she had in years as Robin's arms moved to her waist, his face nuzzling into the crook of her neck. Now more than ever, she just wanted to get home, to start living life with her love.


	28. My Version of Hell

**Again the mindless stream of my thoughts after Sunday's episode and what would have happened when they all returned after the headstones were so sadly marked with 3 of their names. As always, leave me with your thoughts :)**

"It seems as though the lot of you have found a new way to screw it up, Enjoy yourselves while you still can. I'll be in my shop" Gold marched away with a huff and shake of his head. There was always something, and while his mind was a bit preoccupied with the fact that Belle was pregnant and he owed his second born to the God of the Underworld, it still annoyed him to the 'enth degree that once again the heroes were in trouble and no doubt at some point they would call upon him for help.

So they stood, side by side, staring down at the three headstones which now harbored three names, three precious names of woman these men loved more than their own lives. Charming and Snow were the first to walk away, clinging to one another. Hook and Emma followed, hands interlaced as the pirate leaned on his love for support. Regina turned, grasping Henry's hand and gave him a weak smile. She figured Robin was right behind her, his hand hadn't left her back the entire time they stood in the graveyard, but it suddenly felt cold, empty.

"Robin?" She called back, finding him still standing in front of her grave, deep set lines on his forehead as he scowled at the etching. The tension in his body was rigid like the stone a few feet ahead.

"Go ahead Henry, I'll catch up" She smiled, sending the teen along before slowly walking back the few paces to her love. He didn't even register her standing there, the call of his name on her lips, he just stared, the air suddenly to thick to breathe, to heavy to drag in, his heart thundering in his chest.

"It's going to be fine, we will figure it out" her honey warm voice whispered into him as she leaned into his shoulder, gripping his bicep before smoothing her palms down to reach his hand. Still he stood frozen, glaring forward as he swallowed thickly. How was it going to be fine? They had come down here to rescue one and now three had been condemned, and she was one of them. How is that supposed to be fine?

Regina's hand moved up his chest, tucking between the layers of his jackets as she started to rub small circles on his chest. It would do no good for him now to voice her fears, but fears they were. Seeing her name on a gravestone wasn't exactly the easiest thing, but as always she had to be the pillar of strength behind the hero's, who gave in to their hope speeches and naïve wishes that love could conquer all.

It doesn't, not always. It doesn't matter how hard you love someone, sometimes it can't be the lifeline. She knew that all to well. Love was not kind to her, it never had been, not until Henry, Roland and Robin. They were love, they gave her love. The thought of leaving them, never seeing them again that was her fear. But the tension in his shoulders and the frantic beating of his heart under her palm pushed her back into that familiar role of consoling.

She reached to cup his cheek, pulling his downturned gaze to focus on her. His eyes were sad, raging in anger but filled with complete sadness, it broke her heart, seeing the unease in the pure blue, the worry lines around his stubbled face.

"Look at me" she pressed into him leaning her forehead into touch his, breathing in the warmth of his body, her fingers curling into the nape of his neck, toying with the blonde hair endings. "We are going to figure this out" she moved the close the gap, catching his soft lips, sighing into the contact that is him. Finally, his arms freed from their statue state as they wrapped around her waist, pulling her fractionally closer as she broke the kiss. She burrowed into his chest, as he did the same, but her eyes found the tombstone, her name emblazoned on the dark granite. Exhaling heavy she pulled back, gripping his hand and tugging him behind her in silence. He followed, without words, holding onto her like his anchor.

The apartment was quiet, the seven of them surrounded the table, pushing food around their individual plates, glasses of red wine gone larger untouched. The Charmings were the first to retire, once again Hook and Emma following soon. Henry lay heavy across Regina's lap, snoring softly as she carded through his hair. Robin had left an hour prior, shutting the bedroom door in silence. She knew he was worried for them, for her.

After Henry slugged his way into bed, she took a moment, grabbing a glass of water, stealing her emotions that were threatening to bubble over the top. She sniffed hard, blinking back the tears before moving into her and Robin's room. She could tell he wasn't sleeping, an arm draped over his stomach, the other across his forehead as he breathed heavy. Changing into a black slip, she curled beside him, resting her cheek on his chest, listening to the slow beating of his heart.

"It's going to be fine" she finally broke the tense quiet.

He exhaled, huffed and shook his head slightly "How can you be so sure?"

Propping herself up on her elbow she guided his hand away from his face, his eyes glued to the ceiling. "I'm not one for hope speeches, but I have to believe that we will figure this out" she kissed his chest, resting her chin on him. "I just need you to have faith too"

"Faith in what? That Hades will suddenly have a change of heart and let you all go?" His tone a bit harsher than she was ready for. A twinge of annoyance flared as she sat up, frowning at his defiance to look her in the eyes.

"That's a bit pessimistic don't you think?"

He scoffed "It's realistic"

His words stunned her. The one man who constantly had nothing but faith and hope in her was suddenly caving before her eyes.

"He's condemned you to stay in the Underworld. We have no plan, no idea how to get out of here, we have nothing" he grumbled

Well that was true, they didn't know how to fix this new situation, and her heart clenched at the idea of being stuck in this limbo forever. Her dark side flashed without reign "You're acting as though you are the one who is going to be left behind. I'm stuck in Hell, not you"

She regretted the words as soon as they fell, but fall they did. Silence echoed in the room.

"How is this not condemning me as well Regina?" he growled, sitting up on the bed, finally looking at her with a half angered half desperate gaze.

"You get to leave, you get to go home, back to Storybrooke, back to our life, with our boys" she stuttered on the last few words, swallowing down hard the tears that were beginning to fill her lashes. "But by all means, lay here and pout while I figure this all out again"

She fell into the mattress, curling away from him as she drew the blankets up for security, a traitorous tear slipping from the corner of her eye as she burrowed her face into the pillow. Robin sighed, sinking back into the mattress, feeling the waves of unsettlement roll from both he and Regina. She was right, but she also didn't understand.

"I already lived through Hell Regina" he mumbled as his arm curled around her waist, tugging her back with a small tug of resistance, but she eventually went willingly, never one to fight him for too long.

She said nothing.

"I have been through Hell and back, and I certainly do not wish to go through it again"

"Like I said, you get to leave"

He tucked his chin into her neck, breathing in the warm vanilla rose of her hair.

"That is my version of Hell"

Regina froze, her heart aching as she curled into his arms tighter, wondering if this would be one of those last moments she got to feel him.

"Regina, I left you once, and it was the most painful weeks I've ever gone through"

"Zelena won't be there to hurt you again" She trembled, turning in his arms "she's gone Robin"

His palm slide down her back, tugging her tighter into his chest, the other weaving into the long dark chocolate silk of her hair. Such little time they had truly had to be together, days at most until something or someone tore it apart. This wasn't supposed to be their life together, always wondering when the next wave of torture would come, the next moment their souls would have to endure being split apart. He wasn't sure he could survive it again, losing her.

"That's not what I meant" he mumbled leaning to touch her forehead with his own. She frowned, uncertain as to what he could be speaking of instead.

"Losing you Regina. That is my hell"

There it was, the truth behind his tortured eyes and fractured breathing, a tear slipped to coast down his cheeks "I can't do it again."

Her lower lip shook as she wiped away his tears.

"You once told me to use your heart for the both of us, to have faith in us"

"Regina—" he sighed but was quickly cut off by her lips molding into his, a small whimper escaping her mouth.

"You are going home"

"but—"

"And I am coming with you"

Robin burned inside, a teetering ledge between breaking down and trying desperately to hold strong for her.

"Understand?" she murmured against his lips, a palm resting on his heart, the other cradling his cheek.

It took a moment, a long silent, heavy tortured moment before he nodded near imperceptibly, still not convinced, but not willing to give up on her, on them.

"Tell me you understand that we are going home together" She tilted his chin up slightly, searching his eyes that shone with unshed tears that matched her own.

"I understand" his smile sad and weak, but there all the same and that was a start.

"Good" She kissed him once more, before sliding down into his arms, wrapping their bodies snug as her eyes closed, exhaustion taking over.

He wasn't sure if it would be enough, this hope they all had. Hope, such a funny word, giving people a light at the end of a very dark and dangerous tunnel, and while they could see it, he was having a hard time hanging onto the beacon.

"I love you Regina"

His whispers seemingly falling on sleepy ears. He'd have to tell her tomorrow, when he knew she could hear him, know it was real and true. He had to say it before time ran out.

He fell into a restless sleep, moments to soon, not feeling the small staining of wetness on his chest where her face resided, silent tears that fell from her terrified heart.

"I love you too"

 **Fin.**


	29. Big or Little, I love you regardless

**Well here it is-Outlaw Queen Spooning Prompt...hope it satisfies what you were all hoping for...**

The underworld was done, they were back home, finally, after weeks of being down where everyone wanted revenge, be it Hades, or Pan, or some poor lost soul who decided she was their business, it was over Hades made good on his promise, bringing them all back….well everyone except hook, but they would figure that out later.

Henry had made sure of the fact both his mothers would not be without happiness and love in their lives. So, fine, rescuing hook from the underworld at first, didn't quite work, but hero's be damned, they would find a way to ensure Emma's happiness.

For now though, Regina was thankful. Graciously so that, her, Henry, the Charmings, Emma and Robin had all made if out of that hell hole… a place where she concretely decided she would never return…too many ghost who wanted her dead, too many obstacles that were in her way.

The fact that Zelena had brought Hades back was enough…that was a problem to solve all on it's own, after all, how could the God of the Dead be absolved of his sins. In this moment however, it was irrelevant as she sunk into the silk grey sheets of her bed, reveling in the texture that slide along her skin.

Exhaustion was an idea long forgotten, her body so tired from dealing with their previous endeavour she couldn't even fathom moving from the bed as the pillow sank beneath her head, cradling her just so. Tomorrow would be a new day, finding a way to get Robin's daughter, and rescuing Hook, but for now, it was her bed. Her sweet comfy, soft, delicate bed that hugged her tight as she drifted off.

Roland had come home, per Robin's request, one she couldn't deny given the fact she missed the toddler more so than she cared to admit. Henry had opted to stay at Emma's, given the fact she just lost Hook, and was beyond emotional…. He was playing a doting son for his other mother, and Regina couldn't find it in her to argue, though she wanted her boy with her instead.

So it was peaceful, oddly so, eating a quick meal at home, the idea that they were just about condemned to death, not even a thought within their minds as they ate their way through a lasagna and dark chocolate cake, their precious little Roland explaining his adventures away.

Sure, she had noticed the fact Robin barely let her pass without a touch, a simple kiss on her temple, the brush of his fingers along her thigh at dinner. He told her about Rumple stealing his heart, only in the end to give it back, why he did not know, but hell, who cares in this moment when Regina was smiling brightly at him. Granted, initially she was terrified when he had told her of the encounter, had even gone as far as to stick her own hand in his chest to search for his heart, thankful in the end to find it beating solidly beneath her palm.

They hadn't spoke much about it since arriving home, too preoccupied with Roland and Henry. But now, as the little tyke drifted off to sleep, they were sat side by side on the couch, his fingers cascading through her hair as she rested on his shoulder. So many times they had been parted, not by their own choice, but by the choice of others….so many moments taken away from them, it felt surreal to just sit next to one another, breathing in sync, letting the night drag them into a soft comforting moment. Just them, no one else, no one to threaten, no one that held a grudge, no one trying to take the other away, no one attempting to kill the other…just them.

Robin leaned in a touch to breathe in Regina's apple caramel scent, the thought crossing his mind to the fact at one point he may never have had the chance again, to lock her into his memory, as if she wasn't already there, but just as assurance. His fingers glazed on her bare shoulders, creamy silk as they were, he could live in this moment forever, just her snuggled into his arms, relaxed and at ease.

"You should take him to bed"

Her voice catching him off guard in his moment of revelry, to which he begrudgingly nodded, kissing her temple before extracting himself from her arms. Even now, it chilled him, the loss of contact with her…to cold to live with, his heart aching to simply touch her once again. But his boy snored loudly, a sign he was far to gone in his dreams to wake, and a father he is, Robin dutifully carried his son to his room, three doors down the hall, from his own with the love of his life, carefully tucking him in, a sweet simple kiss on the young boys' forehead in goodbye for the night.

The house was dark, Regina obviously silencing the walls to the night, as he walked down the hallway, parting the door, only to see her already drowned beneath the covers.

Peaceful, that is how she looked.

Black hair inked out on the grey silk pillows, her back turned away from the door, one arm tucked under the pillow, the other splayed softly on her chest. For a second Robin wondered how many nights she had like this…. unnerved, without nightmares, just calm and resolutely asleep. He figured not many, he had been apart of many a nightmare before…especially in the underworld, where her dreams were all to real of people trying to take her away.

For now, though, he smiled, drinking in her sleeping form as he shed his shirt and pants, leaving himself in a black set of briefs before climbing into lifting the covers to slide in behind her. It was magnetic, his body couldn't control how he cradled her into his chest, an arm wrapping around her stomach as the other pushed beneath her pillow. It was like clock work, simply so, how Regina slid back into his chest, fingers intertwining his own on her lower stomach. She had once called this position "spooning" .. odd how it was being deemed at cutlery, but her smile ignited him as she explained the fact their bodies just fit together like that. Him behind her, she tucked in tight…. Spooning. He didn't ask for further explanation, was simply happy to be as she called it "her big spoon".

So here he was again, adjusting their bodies seamlessly so till they fit just right.

"Spooning" what a silly description he thought before drifting off into the heat of her body.

Just beyond reaching the depths of sleep, she could feel his stubble along the side of her neck, tickling gently as he pressed a soft kiss into her skin.

To each in their own, they loved this.

Robin adoring how his love would move and slip tighter against his body, the little thick sigh that parted from her as she sank deeper into the bed.

As for Regina, the feeling of his arms tightly secured around her, warm and thick, made her feel safe, a safety she never had known before. Her perfect "big spoon".

Robins face tucked into the curve of her shoulder as Regina subconsciously tugged his hand linked with her own up to her lips, resting there just in case she felt like kissing his fingers.

The perfect "little spoon" as she called it.

Nights on end with her had assured him this position would only last till she was too warm and had to eventually move away, seeking the chill of the sheets further away, but he reveled in the feeling of her body pressed against his ….

An hour or so had passed, Regina tucked into his arms, but Robin couldn't find sleep…not now, not after everything that had happened…there was one thing he needed her to know, before it was to late and time was lost for them. So he cradled her in a fraction tighter, burrowing himself into her silky hair.

"I love you"

A whispering statement passed his lips, holding more than could be described in her heart when the words hit her ears. He figured she was asleep, given the lack of response in her body, but in truth her heart was thundering. She knew she loved him, more than anyone before, and she also knew, he loved her. The way his eyes flickered with gold specks behind their ocean blue whenever he smiled at her, it was deeper than most could see.

He loved her, and she him.

Turning in his arms, her palms are met with his bare chest, a heart beat thumping steadily beneath her palm. Nuzzling into the crook of his neck her lips find his skin, kissing at the soft skin below as her arms wrap around his torso. For a minute the lay still, hearts in tune against each others skin, beating gently in the quiet of solace they have between them, finally.

"Robin…."

Her voice a touch beyond imperceptible, though hips rolled into the other, a motion to which pulls a deep exhale from Robin as his palms venture lower to pull her in tighter. He knows what that tone signifies, what she wants, and gods be damned he will give it to her, only her, for the rest of his days on this earth, it will be spent loving this woman in his arms right now.

"Robin, touch me"

His chin tucks lower, finding her lips stretched out to meet, soft and pliant, warm and intoxicating.

"Are you certain M'lady?"

He hesitates, waiting…but her hips press and writhe, her hands carding into the nape of his neck, a silent beg to bring him closer.

"Stop thinking, and just love me"

That is his end, always has been, always will be.

He pulls, she responds. He licks, she gives in. He rolls, she lets her body go.

Kiss, suck, lick…it repeats.

Taste her, coast down lower, feel her, push inside, suck hard, stomach tenses, hear a pitched moan, clench her thighs as she spikes high and falls back down.

Reverse.

Soak in his smell, trail down thick muscles, taste his skin, stroke gently, suck down deep, moan in pleasure, grind on his thigh, lick and pop in teasing, scratch against his skin, take in everything, feel him jerk, release before it's to soon.

She moves up his body, licking light paths against his skin, ending on lips that eagerly await. They grind hard against each other, bodies slick in sweat before his hand fall below, positioning himself where she needs.

It's all over then.

He strokes, pulls her hips down as she groans, falling into his chest.

This is what is meant by together.

Push and Pull, Tug and Thrust, Up and Down, Fast and Slow, nails that scratch, fingers that grip.

It's hot, sweaty, blinding, tipping her over with his thumb against her clit a second before he lets go, spilling deep inside, her inner core clenching, milking, pulling every last second of pleasure she can.

She falls against him, breathing heavy, legs like jelly as his arms wrap around her back, a hand stroking through her damp hair.

"I missed you"

She sinks lower, unrelenting in her body weight to which he gladly accepts.

They still for moments unknown, his hands rubbing up and down her bare back and she gently kisses along the stubble of his jaw.

It's warm though, stifling so….and her body finally has to release from his, begrudgingly so.

The sheets are cooler here, as she stretched out, stated and satisfied.

Robin doesn't move, his own body needing to cool down in it's own right. And before they can shift back together, sleep claims them, apart but close to feel the others warmth. It feels safe, even like this, not needing to touch, just knowing the other is there.

Hours pass and her eyes blink open, finding red blaring numbers glaring back at her.

4:14 am….

… _God it's to early to be_ awake she groans…

…and yet sleep evades her as she tries to find that darkness again. Restless she turns over and back again, annoyance licking through her mind.

She is tired. Beyond so. All she wants to do is sleep now.

Ghosting her eyes over the mattress, his back is turned to her, deep breaths expanding and contracting through his torso. Her heart flickers, just looking at him, even without seeing his face, she loves him.

It's slow, her movement towards him. Almost as though her subconscious is dragging her mind to him…. granted she would never fight being near him anyway.

Her arm curls around his chest…

…knees pressing into the nook of his own…

…her forehead rests against his shoulder blades….

…his hand clasps her own, moving it upward till it rests against his heart beat….

Her body cradles into his, tucking him gently into her own as she kissing the bare skin of his neck.

She would never deny him holding her, having his arms wrapped around her stomach, hugging her into his own body…. but right now, in this moment, as she molds into his back…. Regina can't help but think…maybe holding him in return isn't so bad.

Being the "big spoon" every now and then, is pretty soothing….

The final thought crossing her mind before falling asleep as she hugs him from behind,

God, she loves him like this…. her "little spoon"


	30. Gone

**So you all know I am usually a pretty optimistic "fuck the rumors", I will sail this ship alone if I need be, kind of OQ fan...however - while I still don't think Robin is actually going to die (at least not permanently)...I can't get over the sick nauseating feeling in my stomach that something awful is about to happen to my babies...hence forth this piece of work below - warning it is based on 5x21 spoilers of "Regina at Robin's Funeral" ... I hate it, but I couldn't sleep without getting some of this angst off my chest.**

She should have known, shouldn't have been so naïve, should have used her head … but it was to late for that now…

They were in a dead lock, frozen to the spot as magic pulsed between them, firing back and forth as she desperately tried to shield him from the onslaught.

She should have known, should have said no, should have followed that gut feeling rather then leading with a distracted heart.

If that damn dagger touched them, it would be over, and the God of the Underworld was relentless in his attack, striking out, ripping through the air as she rebounded back each blow.

She should have known, should have read what he was about to do, been able to see past the delusion before it cost her.

He stepped back, turned to her sister with a sinister glare, so much for true love, and Zelena was trapped…trapped in fear that the man she thought loved her had deceived her, he never wanted her love, he wanted his revenge.

But he knew what she would do, and she should have known he would try it…but the heart leaps out without control, a will to protect, just for a simple fact she is family…and that is when she should have known.

Her cry out for him to stop, the leap she took, left him exposed behind her….and she should have known it was a trap. The second she reached her sister, the blue smoke engulfed him.

She heard a thick groan from behind, the spot where she had just for a damn second moved away…and then the world went sideways. She watched frozen to her spot as he fell to his knees, the pink swaddled blanket vanishing in his arms, leaving behind the protruding white dagger in his chest.

Did she scream? If she had, it fell on deaf ears.

He pitched forward, just as she reached him, stumbling down to break his fall on her own body instead.

There was no blood, why wasn't there blood? Surely there should be….and maybe there was, but her eyes can't see it, all they take in are his eyes, glazing over as his head lolls backward. Her hands grip onto his stubbled face, shaking him to regain consciousness as he fades. Now she can hear herself screaming, begging mercifully for him to come back to her, to please god not to leave her, please please please please.

She doesn't hear them vanish behind her, nor realizes if the baby is still in the room, it doesn't matter. The weight of him burns her arms as she cradles his body in, hot tears splashing onto his chilling skin, and he doesn't move.

Not when she wrenches the white dagger out of his chest, or summons every ounce of magic she has left to try and save him, not even when her lips press into his, the last heart breaking effort to bring him back to her.

He doesn't not move.

She should have known, should have used her head, thought of him first, not let misguided want derail who she was supposed to protect.

Falling to the floor beside where he lays like a statue, it's reflex that her body curls into his side, and he still does not move…there is no rise of breath in his chest, no beat of his heart under her palm, he is still…and there is nothing.

What was said at the funeral, she couldn't remember, didn't know who stood behind her, was unaware of the broken eyes that stared at the once stoic monarch, a Queen who now lacked any sense of emotion. There was nothing left, her eyes had gone dark and glassy, behind a wall that would never be breached again.

She knew she put an arrow on the black casket, laying across a single red rose, that she remembered…thinking how ridiculous it was, he didn't like roses…he liked sunflowers. It felt like hours as she watched him be lowered into the ground, the crowd behind her had receded as the rain began to fall.

It's cold, and wet, and disgusting, and she hates it, but she can't find the strength to leave. It's a strong arm of someone she vaguely is aware of that finally pulls her away, tugs her silent self into the obscenely quiet diner, depositing her in the booth near the back, a cup of tea simmering in front of her hands.

She knows they are staring at her, waiting to see what she will do, what she will say, waiting to see a tear fall, the wall break, the Queen crumble. If they only knew, she felt nothing inside anymore. There was no fire in her belly, no rush of air in her lungs, no steady pulse of her heart…she was empty.

Green eyes stare at her, so filled with tears, guilt, and regret they threaten to overspill, but she doesn't care about her or her feelings. It's not her fault, they followed her to the Underworld on their own accord, but, if she had just left when Mother told her to, when her matriarch begged her to leave with her son and her thief, she wouldn't be sitting here alone, in a diner, wet and freezing, without a chance of ever feeling warmth again.

They approach slowly, one by one, a passing sad glance she ignores, awkward clearing of throats, and whispered condolences, even though she barely registers their words. No one dares to touch her, not a soul is brave enough to reach out to grip the trembling hand that rests on the table.

A woman long ago who had lost love, had seeped into the darkest pits of hell, and now it was happening all over again, and they were nervous. What would the once Evil Queen do now that she was suffering through heartbreak again…

She knows they wonder about it, can feel it in the heavy hushed tones, can sense it behind their tear stained eyes. They are worried.

She should have known….once a villain always a villain…and villains don't get happy endings, what a fool she was to think she could have one, when she is one of the biggest nightmares of fairy tales.

He approaches, ready to stand and protect the woman who raised him, but she doesn't want it, doesn't feel deserving of protection, not when she couldn't protect the one now lost to her forever. In a swirl of purple smoke, she is gone, leaving the diner in dead silence.

The white door of the mansion clears into her vision, and as the door pushes open, the darkness overwhelms her. Everything is black, and cold…there is no trace of life, or light, or love in this place. She see's him everywhere, sitting on the couch, leaning against the kitchen doorway, jogging down the stairs to greet her. But he is not there, he will never be here again.

It's dead inside, the only sound coming from the clicking of her heels on the wooden floors, echoing around the hollow rooms. Her earrings are first, drop down diamonds that are tugged off, followed by the matching bracelet and gold watch, all to which are left on the banister. The heels are next, clumsily dropped along the steps behind her, abandoned and forgotten as the thick wet trench coat falls from her shoulders into a lump on the hallway floor. It was stain the wood, she knows it, but doesn't turn to pick it up as her feet travel down the emptiness towards her bedroom.

She can't look at the bed, can't for even a fraction of a second, glance over to see his pillow, or the leather bound book of his drawings that rests on the bedside table. She avoids it, stripping her body of the black dress, stockings and finally unclipping the lace bra, letting it fall to the bathroom floor along with it's matching bottom half.

The water is stifling hot when she steps in, he hated it this hot….never understood why she loved to steam up the entire place…no, he loved the chill of a lake, the freshness that invaded his skin. It's burning her, the temperature, as if to scald and melt away her body, but she can't really feel it, everything is numb.

She's yet to shed a tear, but that all changes when her eyes find the red bottle, his body wash, pine and spice infused. That breaks everything down. Tears pour from her eyes as she reaches for the soap, sponging it onto her cloth, soaking her skin with his scent. Over and over she washes herself, sobbing into the jet stream of water that smooths away the suds. How many times she drenched her skin with his wash, the number is long lost, but over and over she goes, letting the entire bathroom thicken with his smell, a dark cloud of painful aroma that burns her heart and tears apart her soul.

She goes to squeeze it out again, but nothing comes…. it's empty…. just like everything else, there is nothing left. She stares as the last bubbles swirl away down the drain…just gone. There is nothing more to cry out, her body exhausted and finally giving in. She shuts the tap off, seeing just how red her skin has become, he never liked it when she did this, always commented she would burn herself one of these days and he would have to take care of her…. not that it matters anymore, he's not here, and she will burn every cell of her body now and no one will say a thing.

Her room is freezing compared to the steam filled bathroom, but it is the sight of her, their, bed that stalls her completely. How can she sleep there ever again…knowing that he won't be there to pull her into his chest at night, or wake her up with dotted affection on her face.

It's soaked with him now, he is everywhere…is bleeding into everything around her, it's all him.

No she won't sleep in this room, not now, not ever. The floorboard creak as she makes her way to the spare bedroom, crawling into the comforter, turning to face the wall, secluding herself into the darkness. What if she never got up, just laid here till her heart stopped trying to keep her alive. She could let go, is letting go, can't find it within herself to fight back.

That's all she has ever done…. fight back. Against everyone, alone and defensive…until him. He stood beside her, fought against her, fought with her, fought for her.

It's a deep rooted pain that begins to spread, crushing her bone, sucking out the oxygen from her lungs, clenching her heart as it moves through her body. He is gone, no more pixie dust, no more fated love, no more lion tattoo.

She falls asleep, wishing to never wake up again, the last thought that flickers across her mind…is that it smells like forest, but this time it is her…and even now it is beginning to fade away.

For villains never get happy endings, even if they were never truly one in the first place.

 ****boo, I don't like being this sad RN...the hope is still there, but for now I had to just get this out so I can go to sleep****

 **I'm sorry again. Have Faith and Hope for Sunday - OQ will survive!**


	31. Future

"I just, I need a moment"

His eyes tore from hers as he walked away. She watched him go, a niggling feeling of guilt building in her heart. He was never one to just leave her like this, and it was bothering her. She told him to go, take his daughter and get out of the underworld, but he refused, insisting he stay beside her, a hero till the end. But they couldn't keep the baby here any longer, she was in danger, and after the revelation with Cora and Zelena, she had figured her sister wanted to change to, wanted to have a family again.

Yet, the look on Robin's face was eating away at her as they waited for Emma and Hook. She was trying to do what was best for him...for the baby…but it didn't leave a good feeling behind.

"I'll be right back" She mumbled out to the group as she walked away, turning the corner to find him leaning heavily against the bookcase. Her heart ached at the slump in his shoulders, the way his hand clutched to his chest. She suddenly felt awkward, standing behind him, attempting to figure out what to say.

"Are they back?" He questioned, still turned to the window?

"No" she answered quietly.

"Then why are you here?"

The question hit her like a ton of bricks. He sounded almost angry.

"I wanted to see if you were okay…" she whispered back, fiddling with the hem of her coat. He scoffed softly, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair before retorting sharply "So now you care?".

The oxygen seemed to suck out from her lungs as she clenched her hands together.

"Of course I care. Why would you say that?"

Robin turned finally, finding her eyes with a deep set scowl on his face, no longer were his eyes sparkling in their ocean blue, they were dead panned, dark and angry.

 _Why the hell would he be so mad? I am trying to save his child!_

Her mind thundered in defense as he stood like a statue in front of her. The room went chillingly quiet as they stared at one another, waiting for the other to say something first. He was angry with her, his heart burning over the fact that she had given his child to the one woman who had nearly ruined his entire life, without even a simple apology. He is not a grudge holding man, and will look for the good in people, but that right was reserved for those who hadn't done what that Wicked Witch had, and for what ever reason now, Regina didn't seem to understand.

"I am trying to protect your child"

"By sending her away?"

"I told you to leave with her"

"And leave you in the process!"

"I don't need you to protect me all the time Robin! I've been fine doing so on my own my entire life!"

"I know that Regina, but the difference is that I am here, I came here for you!"

They went silent again, letting their harsh breaths cool. The room felt obscenely small and the space between them an ocean filling more by the second. Regina inhaled deep, dropping his eyes before they burned into her soul any further.

"It's not fair to say I don't care about you. You know I do" her voice hitching at the end as her hand brushed back a fallen lock of hair.

He sighed heavily, shoving his hands into his pockets "How long have we been here?"

"2 weeks?"

"And how long have I been in the forest with my daughter for?"

"4 days?"

"A week"

She swallowed hard.

"And how many times have you come to see if we were doing alright?"

…

She is stunned, her eyes locking onto his once, seeing the pain and sadness swirling within them.

"I…I sent David and Emma as often as I could…but I was dealing with Zelena"

"Exactly."

Robin stepped forward.

"You sent other people…when all I wanted was you Regina"

Her throat ran dry as realization set into her mind. He was right, she hadn't gone to see him after they had set him up with his daughter, not once had she gone back, to check on him, on them. Oh God, the shame that built inside her threatened to drown her completely.

"Robin…I…"

Her apology was cut short as a loud bang from the front of the Library sounded off, tugging them away from the intensity between them. Robin walked right past her, not giving her a second glance as he shook his head defeated…what an ass she has been, to a man who has done nothing but stand beside her. Tears prickled into her eyes as his footsteps faded, leaving her alone with the guilt.

The voices of the group pulled her back, as she wiped away the wetness on her eyelashes, she needed to fix this with him, and soon.

Emma's eyes told her everything she needed to know. He wasn't coming back with them, it had all been a trick, a dirty, disgusting trick to get Hades, Zelena and the baby out of the Underworld whilst they were all still trapped inside.

Combined with Emma's magic, they broke the Blind Witches spell, and then they ran. Ran before time was out, and they truly would be condemned here forever.

She felt the suction of the portal, but she also felt his palm on her back, guiding her through just in front of his own self. Regina wanted to cry as the portal faded away and Storybrook came into view, wanted to weep for the fact that even though they were on a strange distant territory, he was still rubbing her shoulders, asking if she was alright.

God she hated herself right now. Hated what a daft idiot she had been, nearly costing the love of her life, his daughter.

Emma and David ran off in search of Snow, pulling Henry with them as Regina shrugged at their departure. And then it was just them. Standing in the middle of the street in front of her office, quiet and apart.

She heard him sigh heavily beside her though she couldn't bring herself to look at him, afraid of what she might see in his eyes.

"We should find Roland" her voice barely registering, to which he nodded "he's probably at the camp with Little John", as he moved slowly across her and down the street, and she followed, silent and fearful.

It felt like hours as the walked side by side but not speaking and her heart was aching.

The forest came into view and the air grew cold around her as she chewed on her trembling lower lip.

"You realize she has never even apologized?"

His question pulling her out from the dark tunnel her mind walked heavily through. She frowned, staring down at the pathway beneath her black boots.

"For everything she has done…cursing us to lose our memories, stealing your heart, baby Neil…." Robin swallowed thick before continuing "or for killing Marian and then masquerading as her for months, tearing us apart…"

The last omission had the tears falling down her cheeks. He was right, not once had Zelena ever uttered the words… _I'm sorry…_ Regina wasn't actually even sure she was sorry. She sniffed, brushing away the tears, but there were no words that could form, no condolences she hadn't already given him that would change what had happened.

"When she got pregnant, I felt like the worst person in the world. I should have been happy, ecstatic that I was to be a new father…but all I felt was torment and guilt"

"Robin…" she trembled, but he continued over top of her quiver.

"Every day since I had left you, you were all I thought of. I knew there was something wrong, with her, with me, but I couldn't figure it out. Maybe I didn't want to… I had left you, and thought that eventually maybe I wouldn't love you anymore like I do…"

Her breath hitched at his words, they hadn't said that statement to each other before, but here he was laying it all out on the line for her.

"..I thought, that with time I would fall back in love with Marian again, that I could have a family with her, and be happy….but I never was"

He stopped walking, breathing so heavily it fogged out in front of him.

"The night she got pregnant, in truth, I am not even sure how… I had gone out to a pub and could not tell you how many drinks I had. I was so desperate to try and phase you from my mind I literally attempted to drown myself in whiskey just so for a moment you weren't there"

He turned to her, eyes casted down, shaking his head in anguish as she silently cried.

"I knew I had no right to think of you when I had my wife back, or at least who I thought was my wife" he gave a rueful dismal smile before looking up, exhaling hard at the tears that were falling from her eyes.

It was on instinct his hand brushed up her cheek, wiping the wetness away as he swiped along her cheekbone. Regina leaned heavily into his palm, soaking in the warm and touch of his skin. He was right, it had been far to long since they had been together.

"Regina, you are my future" he smiled half way, dipping his head just so, to keep contact with her eyes. "You are it for me… I just wished you understood why I can't quite as easily forgive Zelena, even if she is your sister".

He pulled his hand away, but not before she could catch it.

"I'm sorry"

"Regina…"

"No wait"

He nodded, eyes finally turning back to their bright blue, slowly but surely.

"You are right. I haven't been thinking at all since we got down to the Underworld. Everything was so focused on Hook and Emma that I completely lost you in the balance, and that should never happen"

Her hands finally found the courage to move to his chest, finding the steady pulsing heart beat below. She focused on it, letting its rhythm set the pace for her apology.

"I left you, got distracted with Zelena, and forgot to think about everything. I just wanted her to change so terribly, to find love, like I have with you. I wanted her to feel this feeling, know what it feels like to have someone"

Robin smiled, stepping in a fraction closer, interlacing her fingers with his own on his chest as his other hand resumed its rightful position in her hair.

"I don't know if she can change, or if she can change Hades either…but what I do know is that…" her eyes moved up to catch his own gaze, and with everything inside her bubbling to the surface she smiled, hopeful at him "…I want you there beside me, I want our family, I want you to live in my house, I want us to get married, I want everything, you are my future too, Robin. I'm just so sorry I lost track of that"

He was full on beaming at her now, dimples and all, but she didn't smile back, still to riddled with guilt over the fact that he was forgiving her ever so quickly, even when maybe she didn't deserve to be forgiven.

Stepping back, she shook her head, wiping away her tears and righting her coat. Robin frowned at her departure, seeing the shame in her eyes as she avoided him.

"We should find Roland" she sniffed, turning to start on the pathway again.

He smirked to himself, _not so fast Mi'lady_ … his hand clutched her elbow, spinning her around before she had a chance to protest, to tell him she wasn't worthy, didn't deserve his apology. Nope, he wasn't going to let her take another step before pouring ever ounce of his love for this ridiculously hot headed, stubborn, adorable, beautiful, woman.

His lips pressed hard into hers as his arms wrapped around her shocked frame, and she stood frozen, for just a second, before melting into his body, gliding her hand around his neck, the other over his heart beat. They kissed and kissed, till their breath ran out, being forced to pull back, but not relinquishing their grasp on the other.

Robin leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers as he drank her in. Another minor bump in the road, taken care of.

He smiled as their eyes locked together… "Think you could make lasagna tonight? I've been craving it"

Finally, she laughed, breathlessly and beaming back at him. She had definitely messed up, but as she stroked through his stubble, her heart glowed with how grateful she was for this man and the future they were heading towards.


	32. I Wished For You

_**Because I refuse to live in a world where OQ doesn't exist - enjoy!**_

She didn't understand how, truly didn't care at the moment, and had no real desire to find out…when all that mattered was that he was here, alive, heart beating, lung breathing, smiling that beautiful dimpled smile at her.

Standing in front of the fountain, she wished for peace, wished for love, wished for redemption and a happy ending. How that would happen she didn't think could be possible, but upon returning to Story Brooke (after separating herself and killing the Evil Queen that resided within) …

...he was there.

Sitting on her couch, grinning like an idiot as she stood frozen to the spot, thinking she must have gone crazy. It wasn't possible, fate could not have been so kind as to return him to her. And yet, God, there he was, blue eyes all sparkling and warm, crooked half smile hidden behind dimples, a tattooed arm extended out to her and the tears began to pool in her eyes.

How?

How?

How is this real?

Her feet refuse to move as he stood up, slowly closing the gap between them as her eyes widen in shock, jaw dropping and the tears falling relentlessly. If this was cruel joke, she'd rather her heart be ripped out now than suffer through it. And then his palm is cupping her chin, a thumb running along her cheek bone, just like he always did.

It smells like forest, pure, sweet, incredible, all consuming forest.

But it's just him, standing in front of her, smiling through his own shock and revelation that they are here, she is here, he is here.

Her heart is thundering, brutal and harsh against her ribcage, breath evading her scorching lungs as she stares into his eyes…

…and then it's to much. He can't be. She saw him die, watched his soul leave…this isn't real.

Anguished at the realization he is not truly here, Regina clenches her eyes shut, inhaling sharp, blocking out the false vision that is him, forcing down the pain that is bubbling in her veins.

And yet even still, as she tries to force this farce out of her mind, his hand is warm on her cheek, his scent clouding, and then it's his voice, low and warm, timbered and soft as he steps into her space, resting his forehead to her own.

"Regina, my love. It's alright…I'm here"

His fingers reach down to pull apart her clenched fist that rests at her hip, slowly prying the steeled digits into his own, gripping them tightly within his grasp, leading her hand up to his lips, pressing a heart wrenching kiss into her smooth palm.

"It's alright…open your eyes"

Her head shakes violently back and forth, squeezing his impossible hand back, as she leans into his still caressing hand on her cheek. It feels so real, he feels so real…but he can't be. She wants so terribly for it to be so, that he is truly here, his heart is actually beating, but she saw him go…has lived with him being gone for 2 weeks, even her heart had given up hope of getting him back.

He can feel her shaking, the trembling of her lower lip that refuses to stop between the relentless tears that fall from thick dark lashes.

As to how, well he does not know, only remembers dying and then being completely unable to leave her… being tethered to her, a soul that ghosted just behind every step she took, through the funeral where he stood just behind her, desperate to wipe away her pain, till the diner where he wished to hold her hand, and when even to his own shock, the pirate barged through the door. He could see the devastation in her eyes, had wanted nothing more than to wrap her into his arms and take her away from the torment of seeing others live _happily ever after_ when her own had been stripped away just hours before.

But such is the fate of tethered souls, you follow, you watch, you wish but can do nothing to soothe the broken other half.

Even in the nights, he lay beside her, invisible hands brushing away the fallen locks of hair that clung her to tear stained cheeks after she finally passed out from crying. It wasn't fair, for her to have to endure this, was not fair he had to watch her heartbreak from mere centimeters away. He could do nothing, not when her voice cracked through the screams for him to return to her, not through the shaking of her shoulders as she cried in the shower… there was nothing for him to do, but watch as she broke, piece by piece.

How unfair it is to be a soulmate and be taken away.

He walked behind her in New York, rubbing her shoulders though she could not feel as they entered the old apartment where he once took up residence. Had literally guided her by the hand, though she did not know, to the book that housed his letter to her, and had kissed her temple as she read it. Read how he wished she was here, that they were together, how he loved her so.

If there was one thing he regretted, it was that he never actually spoke those words, though he felt every time she smiled at him, there was so much happening, it felt like time was stripped away before he could tell her he did love her, loved her like no one else, loved her beyond comprehension.

A letter wouldn't do much to take away the pain in her soul, he knew that… but selfishly he glowed when she tucked it into her breast pocket, rubbing her hand over her heart with a sad tearful smile, anchoring his words against her. He knew she loved him, loved him long ago, loved him still.

He had panicked when she met Gold, who baited her into bringing back the Evil Queen, had stood in utter disbelief and fear when she literally split in two, and crushed the heart of her darker self.

He was proud of her, proud that she was letting go of her haunting past.

It happened a few hours later, at the water fountain when coins were being thrown into the fountain, he felt an unbelievable tug, a sucking force pulling him away. He screamed for her, reached out to grab her hand but it was useless, and he faded away as she wiped a tear from her eyes, turning from the water escapade and walking away.

Waking up, he found himself in her mansion, sitting on her couch, a fire flickering in the background…and it felt real…not that ghost faint whispering that had been the last two weeks. The cloth on the sofa was textured, the heat from the flames burning, he could smell the apple caramel of her hair in the pillows…and then the door opened, and she was there.

"It's alright…open your eyes"

She shakes her head again, but clings to him tighter, her free hand clasping onto the scarf around his neck as she burrows into him, and he hugs her, so tight he wonders if their bones would crack. But it does not matter, not when she is here, he is here, they are here.

"Regina, love, please look at me"

"I can't" her voice choked and shaking as her arms wrap around his neck "you aren't real"

"Do I feel real Regina?" his palms run down the expanse of her back, along the smooth red silk that clings to her body as he cradles her in tight. "Do my hands feel real on you?"

She nods, soaking the collar of his shirt with her tears.

"and what of my lips, do they feel real?" he presses a row on the line of her shoulder, up into her neck, and across her jaw.

"Yyye-yesss" she shakes, unbelieving but so willing to give in.

"What of my heart Regina…can you feel it beating?" he moves her hand over his chest, letting the steady thumping pulse against her palm.

He feels so damn real, so, so alive, but it can't be true…

"Open your eyes, my love" his soft warming tone whispers into her ear.

And for a moment, she can't move, refuses to, for if this is just a fantasy, she'd rather just stand here forever, never letting it disappear…but his lips touch her own, pressing gently as he cups the back of her head, threading his fingers through her hair. He kisses her, pouring in whatever he can to making her believe, and he feels it, the give on her lips that relax, the melting of her body in his arms.

She kisses him, for all it is worth, soaking in every note of his taste, cementing it to memory before it can fade…and she waits for him to fade…and he doesn't…not once, even as his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her flush to his chest where his heart beat pumps solid, not once does he fade when he kisses her back.

"You're here?" she mumbles against his lips, not quite willing to break the contact as her fingers run through the sandy short hair at the back of his neck. He is warm, pressed against her, and his heart beat furiously against her own chest, as though to prove a point he is alive.

"I'm here" he whispers back, catching her lips once more, reveling in the sweet sugar taste.

"Do you promise?"

The tremble in her voice, breaks his heart in two…her fear of hoping, when he knows hope has never been kind to her…

"I promise, open your eyes"

Sniffing back hard tears, Regina pulls a fraction back, inhaling sharply, willing her body to cooperate as his palms continue to smooth over her back, caressing along her shoulders, and running down her arms, lacing their fingers together with a gently squeeze.

 _Just hope Regina...for once…just hope…_

Her mind begs for her eyes to open.

Ocean Blue.

Crystal Blue.

Bright Sparkling Blue with hints of greens and golds.

They stare right back at her, soft and warm, holding her to this moment, freezing it in time.

"You're here…" her voice cracks softly, hitching in the revelation that stands in her hands.

"I promised I would be" Robin smiles, leaning in to rest his forehead against her own, breathing her in full and whole as though he had been deprived of her for centuries.

It feels impossible still for her, to truly believe it is him, in the beating real alive flesh, but her heart aches for him, and so she lets it. Tears fall from whiskey brown eyes as she smiles, cupping his cheeks in her hands, running her thumbs along his stubble "you're actually here…".

"I am, I never truly left you"

Robin tilts to kiss the inside of her hand, running his nose along her palm, before smiling back. He wants to tell her more, wants to explain as best as he can, but the words are cut short as her lips crash into his, desperate, needy and all consuming.

He is alive, he is here and she will kiss him till she cannot breathe again. Her arms circle around his neck, carding into his hair, pulling him tighter, and he twins her action, wrapping her into his chest, tugging around her waist, cradling the back of her head into his hands, kissing her with every ounce of life he has. And by God, he is alive, because of her, alive for her.

His tongue darts out to trace the seam of her lips, a moan passing through her throat as she welcomes the action, opening her mouth for him, to taste him, to soak his passion in. He is hot, scorchingly alive as he sucks her tongue into his mouth, hands falling to cup her bottom, squeezing as she inhales greedily.

She can feel the pounding of her heart, is certain, he must feel it against his own skin, beating for them, furiously.

He breaks apart from her lips, heaving deep breaths, mimicking her own, but he dares not let her go, refuses now and forever to have this woman be parted from his arms.

"I Love You"

She stutters on the words between kissing him again and again.

"I Love You Robin"

He tries to tell her he loves her to, but she is kissing him again, smothering his lips so tight he can't do anything but hold on, guide her back slowly to the couch that he woke up on moments before.

Gently, he lowers her down, kissing her lips till the bitter end, when gravity has to pull them apart, and they separate with a pop.

Regina is breathing so hard, it feels painful, but it's impossible to not reach for him, not to touch him, not to kiss him. Her heart skips as she falls into the couch, eyes locked onto his own, legs wrapped around his waist, arms settled on his shoulders…he is smiling down at her, beaming uncontrollably, she can see the unshed tears on his blonde eyelashes.

"How are you here?" her hand moves to rest against his cheek as he lowers himself down into the V of her hips, pelvis pressing into her own, his stomach covering hers, and his chest leaning into her breasts, arms resting around her face, fingers smoothing back the chocolate tendrils that have fallen.

Sighing heavily, he settles into her warmth, unknowing what the truth is, how it happened, or how long this will last. For now, he is happy to just feel her heart beat on his skin, her breath on his face, and her skin under his hands.

"I wished for you…to come back to me" she blushes underneath him, but her eyes fill with uncertain tears, the fear he could be, this could be a farce, blooming,

"I know…I was there"

She frowns up at him, pushing away the blonde hair from his eyes, "How?"

"When I died, I never moved on…I stayed in that office, and then I followed you…I don't truly understand, but I couldn't leave you…" His thumb brushes a fallen stray tear that drops from the corner of her eye, "…so I went with you, everywhere"

"You came with me to New York?"

"I never left your side, how could I..." he grinned, leaning down to kiss the apple of her cheek, down across her jaw and back to find her lips. "…I Love You Regina"

If her heart could burst within her chest, it probably would explode into a thousand beautiful pieces that only he could hold. There isn't much point in trying to hold back her tears now, so she lets them fall freely, streaming down her cheeks as she pulls him into her once more, kissing her soulmate with every ounce of herself, thanking who ever or what ever above for finally giving her hope.

"Do you remember what I told you before the shattered curse?"

Regina smiles, nodding out softly… _"_ This is real…"

Robin finishes the words for her,

"And this is true"


	33. Shutting You Up

**Color Prompt: Red - Shutting the other up mid argument in an unconventional way.**

They sat around the round table – barking back and forth over plans to take down the wicked witch, and apparently Regina was on the losing end of the decision making. Annoyance flooding through her body when the thief decides to chimes in – claiming he's broken into the Dark Ones castle before, scoffing she sneers at him "Why are we even listening to him? He's a thief. Which means he's not to be trusted."

She glares heatedly at him "What are you even still doing here?"

"What I'm doing here is saving your ass" The outlaw snaps back with an arching eyebrow.

She's going to kill him – how dare he make that kind of remark to her, she is the Queen dammit, not some bar maiden vying for his attentions. Not that she wants his attentions…not in the slightest. Sure he's handsome, in a rugged dirty sort of way, and so what if his smirk makes her stomach flutter, his eyes bring a flush to her cheeks. She absolutely abhors this man, this arrogant idiot.

"The castle has traps, and deadly ones" he continues, refusing to look away as she drops her eyes from his.

"Not more deadly than my magic" She rolls her eyes

"They are if you don't see them coming" Robin harps at her, by all the Gods this woman is beyond stubborn.

"Well maybe I'm okay with taking my chances" she growls back, fighting off the urge to choke the life out of him.

"You may be, but we aren't. He's coming" Snow decides promptly and the smug grin she feels burning into her from the Outlaw makes her blood boil. Gritting her teeth, she stands up, her chair screeching back on the stone floor, "well, seeing's how my opinion apparently holds nothing, you can fetch for me when needed" she growls, gripping her dress as she storms out of the hall.

Robin watches her leave, frowning at her harsh departure. Why he is drawn to this hot headed, temper driven woman he will never understand, but its like a moth to a flame, he simply has to be close to her, and while she may roll her eyes at his presence and snap at him, she also does nothing to send him away.

It's been like this for weeks – this odd silent agreement they have. He finds her, she lets him stay, but they are not friends, they are anything but the sort. She has made it clear enough she doesn't wish for his companionship – not that he thinks he wants to give it to her. They are opposites, and yet so much the same. A hurricane fighting a tornado. She is tempered, he is stubborn. She pushes him away, he pulls back. He's caught her once or twice staring at him intently when she thinks no one else is looking, with a confused arch in her eyebrow as if trying to decide whether to roast him on the spot or kiss the living day lights out of him.

He'd be lying if he hasn't thought about the latter, the Queen is beyond beautiful, honey cream skin, dark whiskey eyes, plump ruby lips. She's caught him staring at her lips more than once, glares at him for a moment before teasing him with the darting of her tongue to wet them. She knows what she is doing to him. Baiting but never surrendering.

He doesn't realize he's been walking to the courtyard until he see's her, leaning against the railing that over looks the valley. Her head is hung low, chocolate locks draping around her velvet clad shoulders. His gaze travels her body for a moment, drinking in the curve of her backside, the slender slightness of her waist, up to the fullness of her breast.

"If you're just going to stare at me, leave" she huffs, avoiding his gaze.

Shaking his head, Robin closes the distance between them, facing her body sideways as he leans against the rail. He scans her face, seeing the pain the hides behind her anger. She is so angry he thinks, always is – but there is more to it than people know, than he knows. And for whatever god damn reason, he wants to know.

"What did I just say" Regina growls, flicking her dark gaze up to his. She hates when he does this. When he just looks at her like she is some broken puzzle he is trying to put back together. The odd concern in his blue eyes that steal her breath away.

"You're angry with me" He states

She snorts "Perceptive one, aren't you"?

"Why?"

"I can take care of myself"

"I do not doubt that"

"Then why are you still here?"

She turns to face him, eyebrows creased together as she stares up at him in uncertainty. Robin shrugs, pursing his lips as he figures out the right words to explain this unnerving feeling of needing to protect this woman.

"I don't need you to watch out for me" she interrupts his train of thought "I don't need anyone"

"Why do you do this? Block yourself off from everyone?"

"I prefer to be alone"

"I find that hard to believe"

"I don't care what you think – now leave"

She turns back to stare out into the distance, wishing this irritatingly persistent man would just take the hint and sod off, but it's Robin – and he never does what she asks, she says leave- he stays, she tells him to shut up- he speaks louder. It's impossible to win with him. She's never actually had someone stand up to her like this before.

"Thief, I won't ask you again" her voice low and dead panned.

He doesn't step away, moves forward into her space instead, his palm moving to rest on the small of her back.

"Robin"

It's a pained whisper as her eyes close, a heavy exhale parting from her ruby lips.

"I know you don't want to be angry like this all the time Regina"

"You don't know anything about me"

"I think I know you better than you think"

She scoffs, moving away from his hand, turning to walk away from him.

"Regina don't walk away"

"Why? What do you get out of this constant irritating pursuit of me?"

He doesn't say anything, just frowns at her.

"I am the Evil Queen, I don't want anyone around – least of all a thief"

"Is that truly what you think of me, that all I am is a lowlife peasant?"

She glares at him "Yes – now will you leave me alone?"

They stare at each other for a heated moment, tension rolling between them as Robin debates whether to stalk off and leave her to her stubbornness. Clenching his fists he sighs with a shake of his head.

"You need to stop this"

"Stop what? this is who I am"

"No it's not"

"God you are infuriating" she growls, storming to turn around but he grabs her arm, hauling her back to face him.

"What the hell -"

Her words are cut short by his lips, pressing hard into her, rendering her stunned and shocked. His hand cards through her hair, landing at the base of her neck, the other wrapping around the small of her waist till she is pressed directly against him. He tastes like mint and wine, heady and thick as his lips suck hers into his mouth, an involuntary whine escaping her when he finally parts with a pop. Breathing heavy, Robin leans his forehead into hers, inhaling the caramel richness of her hair.

Words fail her in the moment as she moves to put a hand on his chest, feeling the erratic heartbeat under her palm that matches her own. For a moment they just stand together, soaking in the strange new ground they were on.

Love isn't for her.

She loved Daniel and he died.

She loved Henry and now will never see him again.

Pushing back away from Robin, she blinks back the tears that form along the thick eyelashes.

"Regina – "

"Don't, just leave me alone"

She is gone in a smoke of purple before he can say anything, leaving him alone in the courtyard underneath the stars, the tingling sensation of her lips on his still flickering.

Something is between them, something strong, whether she wants to admit it or not, and by the gods be damned Robin is just as stubborn as she is. He will show her there is another way, that being alone isn't the only option, not when he is becoming more certain by the day he can't live without her around.


	34. Alone

They had made it back from NYC, in one piece thankfully, Henry in tow, the darkness split and crushed by her own hand. And she feels free – well maybe not free, but less suffocated she supposes.

Driving back into Storybrooke, it felt cold and empty; knowing he wasn't going to be there…never would be again.

She lost him, just the thought of going home to her mansion made her heart ache.

She'd open the door and there would be no kiss to greet her, no dimpled smile to warm her soul, no whiskey ready on the table as he guided her into the living room, no thick warm forest smelling chest to settle into, no heart beat that would lull her to sleep.

Desperate to hold on to whatever she had left of him, her heart was set on finding Roland the second they returned. Leaving him was awful, she felt awful even as she kissed his mop of curly hair, promising the nervous boy she would be back for him, her stomach rolled uneasy.

She would always come back for him.

Since Robin's passing, Roland had barely left her side, clutching to her with every ounce of his tiny body. Every night she rocked his tears away, telling him stories of his papa, kissing the crown on his head. Whether it made him feel better she didn't know. In truth she wasn't certain if it really helped her either. Robin was on her mind every minute. There was no where she went she didn't think of him. No conversation she had with someone else she wished it was him answering instead. No touch of someone in consoling, she would have given her heart up for, just to let it be him one more time.

The Merry Men, well Little John, had asked what they should do now with their leader gone.

She didn't know.

They weren't from this world, hadn't truly amalgamated and deep down Regina knew they weren't meant to be here. They were men of the forest, they belonged in Sherwood. Though they had become a strange family, she knew one day they would want to go back and she would lose them, like she does everyone else.

What she didn't realize is that she wouldn't even get to say goodbye.

She walked slowly through the forest to their camp, breathing in the nature around her, feeling the crisp air caress her skin.

It was quiet, way to quiet. She should be able to hear them, the roaring of the fire, humming of their conversation.

Parting through the brush, her heart froze.

There were no tents, no fire pit alive in the middle, no clinking of ale goblets.

Not a soul in sight.

Panicking she ran to the space where their imprints were left behind.

 _What the hell was going on?_

"Regina?"

She spun on the spot, finding Will Scarlet a few paces behind her, a solemn look on his crooked face.

"Where are they?" she stammered out.

He didn't say anything, eyes cast down, fiddling with an arrow between his hands.

"Will! Where did they go?"

He sighed, finally locking his dark hazel eyes into the Queens frantic whiskey brown, running a hand over his face, he stepped forward

"They left"

"What do you mean left? Left where?"

"Zelena opened a portal back to Sherwood"

She froze, _the_ _y wouldn't do that to her, not yet, not when she wasn't ready to say goodbye._

"They wouldn't leave without saying goodbye…"

"I'm sorry"

Tears bubbled in her eye lashes, _no please no,_ a thick lump in her throat blocking the bile that was rising.

It went quiet, horridly quiet as realization crept through her bones.

"Will, did they take Roland?"

Her question is barely above a whisper, nearly lost in the shuffling of leaves within the tree tops above.

They stare at one another.

Stepping forward, her hand is shakes as she grips the black coat of what appears to be the last Merry Man.

"Will…?"

His silence says it all and her tears fall, icing her cheeks in wetness against the chill of the air.

"Please tell me they didn't take him away from me. Will Please" her voice trembled, lower lip shaking uncontrollably as she grasped his bicep.

"I'm sorry" he repeats; the only words he can find.

The world is cruel.

She cries; for all the unfairness that was her life, sobbed for the people that had been taken away from her time and time again.

And he tries, kneeling in the dirt with his arms wrapped around the Queen, he tries to comfort an inconsolable soul, does what he can to soothe the agony that wracks a tortured heart.

It's unstoppable, the tears that pour from her eyes, the breath that failing to intake in her lungs.

What was there left of him now? He is gone, and now his son is gone.

All she has is Henry, and even he is no longer just hers anymore.

Once more, Regina Mills was left with a hole in her heart that only seemed to crater further. She was alone, as before, as all she would ever be.

Villains don't get happy endings-even those that never deserved to be one in the first place.


	35. Dance With Me

**Prompt: Dance With Me**

Laying against the headboard of the large bed, Robin runs his thumbs along the black mask, trimmed in lace as diamonds sparkling in the corners, rubies and emeralds twirling into a rose at the corner. He loved this mask, how it fit her face perfectly, sculpting along her high cheekbones, gently across her petite nose, encircling her almond shaped eyes. Three times he had gotten to see her wear it, and three times his heart doubled over…. He closes his eyes as his memory takes over…

 **** THE FIRST TIME – ENCHANTED FOREST****

The entire hall was decorated in gold and silver drapes, hundreds of white lillies held by golden vases lined the walls, music ricocheting off the walls that danced in diamond light reflected from the massive chandelier that hung from the expansive ceiling. As he walked through the crowds of people, Robin had to admit, Snow knew how to host a ball, regardless if it was neccessary or not with their current predicament of dealing with the Wicked Witch, the scene in front of him was beautiful.

He had been in the council room as Regina's annoyed expression glared at Snow's suggestion for the event…

 ** _THE DAY BEFORE:_**

"You can't be serious Snow. We have more important things to try and deal with, than having a party"

But Snow was relentless, her cheery voice "We need to have a moment where we aren't battling a Villain Regina, the people need something to take their mind off this impending black cloud, and truth be told I think you need it as well"

Regina had scoffed heavy at that remark "I don't need anything"

He had laughed internally at her complete reluctance and obvious irritation, but in the end she had merely shrugged, standing and leaving them with a heated "Fine, but don't expect me to join", Flicking her long hair as she stormed out of the room.

Her words had hit him a bit deeper than he anticipated…. He was upset…upset that the Queen wasn't going to join…. _When did that happen? Why do I care?_... internally questioning himself. It striked him as odd that he was hoping to see her. For the life of him he didn't understand why she had such a pull on him…in theory he should have been completely put off by her harshness, sparking retorts, and distinguished scowl. She was gorgeous, the most stunning woman he had ever seen, and at first he equated his need to be around her simply to the fact that she was visually attractive… _incredibly attactive…_

But there was an underlying sadness to her. He saw it in her eyes, they gave her away everytime. His heart pained as he would watch her seclude herself in her room, walking alone in the courtyard, and sitting on the stone bench under the apple tree in the dead of night, hugging herself tight. His mind is brought back into reality as he hears Snows voice calling out to him "Robin, maybe you should go talk to her?"

His eyes widen in shock "Yes because the Queen listens to me, what with us being so close and all"

David laughed at Robins sarcastic tone, but Snow was persistent "You are probably the only one she would listen to without being burnt to a crisp right now"

His eyebrows furrowed at that….for what ever reason, no matter how much he poked and prodded the Queen, she strangely seemed to almost enjoy it, underneath the disdained filled retorts she'd fire back. He had seen the light smile crack her lips on a few occasions as they barbed back and forth.

He stood, nodding his head in acceptance and went to find Regina.

Cracking her door open, he sees her leaning against the steel balcony, her torso arched over, displaying her curvy backside to him. _God, she's a temptress_. He walks silently over to her, and as casual as he can leans beside her, his shoulders bumping her as he does. She doesn't react, her eyes are shut tight as a heavy breath exhales from her "What do you want Thief?". Her voice is exasperated.

"I've been sent by Snow and Charming to beg you to attend this ridiculous ball" His voice light and baiting as he see's a small smile form, a breathy chuckle leaves her red lips and she straightens herself out.

Her eyes find his, and his heart pumps a bit faster at the sadness within her whiskey brown. He can see her lashes blink back the building of tears as she casts her gaze back to the courtyard.

He leans into her, and for a second he deabtes if he should….but the look on her face tells him everything he needs to know…and he gently places his hand over hers. His eyes watch as hers stare at their enclosed palms. They don't speak for a moment and he see's her swallow a hard lump down.

"Regina, what tis it?" His voice full of concern.

Her face hardens a touch, and she pulls back from his grasp, "Nothing is wrong thief"

She turns, walking away from him, but he catches her arm, twisting her shocked body back to his "Don't do that, I know something is bothering you. Let me Help"

He can feel her tensed muscles, relax as her tongue darts out, wetting her lips. "I just … I miss my son, he would have loved being at a ball and going is only going to make it worse for me"

Robin sighs heavy and pulls her into his body in a bold move, encircling his arms around her waist. He feels her tense again at the action, but he runs a hand up and down her back as her muscles relax and her head falls into his chest. "I know it is no consolation for your son, but I do happen to know another young boy who is incredibly excited to dance with "his majesty".." Regina laughs lightly against him, and he is thankful that his son's abundance of adoration for the Queen has wormed it's way into her heart. They were oddly inseperable, if ever he lost his son, the first and only place he ever had to look was wherever Regina was.

He feels her fingers tugs against his lapels, finding whatever moment of comfort she needed. His hands never ceasing the ministrations against her, gliding down her back, over her exposed shoulders and trailing lightly against the nape of her neck. His system is engulfed in her vanilla rose smell, her hair unbelievable silky hair sending goosebumps down his spine. He desperately wants to tilt her chin up to kiss her lips, but he knows that probably crossing a line Regina obviously isn't willing to cross….yet.

"It's not going to be that bad…."

"So you say, but I don't exactly fancy having everyone in this kingdom who hates me stare at me all night"

"Well you can't really blame them can you?"

She pushse herself lightly off Robins chest, her hands firmly planted against him as her eyebrows arch high.

"You are stunning Regina, it is only natural people would stare at you"

She laughs….for the first time he has ever heard…and it is as breathtaking as she is. He catalouges it in his mind, one of the most beautiful things he has ever heard, and he silent promises to himself that he will hear it again.

"You are impossible, you know that" A small smile flickers as she pulls away completely from his reluctant arms.

His eyes follow her, as she turns "So I take that as a Yes, You will attend?"

Rolling her eyes, but the smile still stays, she nods her head at him "Only for that adorable son of yours"

Robin beams, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles as he exits.

 ** _Present Time_**

He stands in a group of his Merry Men, their goblets clattering in cheers as they laugh and reminisce about the fact that a band out outlaws are currently at a Royal Ball. He laughs along with them, but feels his dark green velvet jacket being tugged down. He turns his eyes and see's his son smiling up at him, arms extended is demand. Pulling Roland into his arms, he smiles at the adorable ensemble Regina had sent for him to wear. It was forest green, with golden trimming around the small lapels and arm cuffs, the back stiched in similar gold in a bow and arrow.

"PAPA! Where's Majesty?"

Shaking his head lightly, he straightens out the silk black bow tie at the base of the chubby chin, "She is coming, I promise, she told me so herself". Roland beams and is about to ask another question but a glee filled scream comes out instead, his body struggling for his father to put him down. Robin turns and his breath is stolen from his body. She is walking through the crowd, who wear matching awed and shocked expressions as she glides by them. Her dress is forest green, matching his sons suit and his heart smiles at the gesture. His eyes coast up her body. The dress flows airy around her legs as it hugs her hips and torso. Gold brocade meets the green silk at the base of her breasts, pulling up around her shoulders, cinching together in the back. Her cleavage on full display as the golden material parts on her chest, revealing her smooth skin, and a few freckles Robin is all to happy to discover. He doesn't realize how close she has gotten till she bends down to Rolands level, presenting him with a red rose, which he happily accepts and she tucks it into the jacket pocket.

Standing, her eyes find Robins, and she smiles at his awed struck expression. Her lips are tinted in a deep plum, cheeks brushed is a bronzed rose. He traces the lines of her face until he see's her mask. Black lace, with diamonds curling around. The red rubies and green emeralds curl into a rose pattern, matching the senitment she just gave his son. Her eyeslashes are thick behind it, eyes lined dark, with a hint of green and gold at the corners of her eyes.

She is beautiful. His heart pounds hard against his chest. She is absolutely stunning.

Her voice husky as she arches her eyebrow in play "I take it you like the dress?"

He pulls his lips into a tight smile as a twinge of blush moves up his neck. He simply nods, pulling her black silk covered hand to his mouth, placing a chaste kiss "You look stunning, Your Majesty"

She smiles bright but her attention is quickly drawn back to the young boy is is pulling her other hand "Majesty, will you dance with me?!"

She bends down and kisses Rolands cheek, a gleeful bubble erupting from him … " I would love nothing more than to dance with my favorite knight"

Standing up, she hoist Roland on to her hip, turning as she smiles one last time at Robin before moving through the crowd onto the dance floor.

He watches them for hours it seems, Regina twirling his son around, gliding back and forth as Roland smiles the widdest smile Robin thinks he has ever seen. His heart is glowing at the sight. She looks effortless as she moves through the dancing couples, her smile beaming. Little John pulls him into a conversation, as he turns his gaze from Regina. They chat for a while, and Robin didn't realize the candles dim…turning back to the dance floor, his heart nearly explodes in his chest. Regina is gently swaying beside Snow and Charming, her arms circled around the body of a sleep Roland, his head tucked under her chin, one small hand lightly clutching a long curl that hangs from her shoulders. He watches as she rubs his back soothingly, lightly kisses the messy mop of brown hair.

The music dies completely, and Robin makes his way over to the group. Regina smiling tiredly as he stops beside her. They stand side by side for a few minutes, as Snow and David chatter, but Robin can only look at Regina, her elegant updo, now slightly fallen, long curls falling into her face. Roland stirs and Regina passes him off to his father. She bids the trio good night before walking out of the hallway. John comes over to Robin, taking the sleeping lad from his arms, giving Robin a knowing look.

Turning on his heel, he walks fast out the doors, scanning the Castle for Regina but she has vanished. His heart sinks momentarily but he smiles, knowing exactly where he will find her.

The air is chilly, but he sees her standing under her apple tree, looking up at the red fruit. Her back turned to him as the moonlight bathes around her. Silently padding towards her his gently places a hand on the bare exposed skin of her back, he feels her tense momentarily before relaxing into his warm touch. Her head tilts slightly to look at him, her mask long removed, as it sits on the stone bench beside them. Her eyes are tinged slightly red, and Robin can see the wetness that coats her long lashes.

He silently watches as she licks her lips, a flurry of emotions running through her eyes as she turns completely to face him, her eyes scanning his face as a black silk glove raises and gently caress his cheek. His heart in pounding at the feeling of her touching him. And before he can find words, Regina leans into him, pressing her lips into his. His heart hammers at the feeling of her, soft and supple against him. His arms circle around her, pulling her body flush against his as he kisses her back. He can feel her heart thrumming against his chest, her one hand still at his cheek as the other gently threads through the back of his hair.

She pulls back, and whispers a small "Thank You" against his lips.

He knits his eyebrows together and she smiles gently at him "For tonight…" her eyes roll lightly in play "for forcing me to come…. Thank You".

He returns her smile and pushes a stray curled lock behind her ears.

"Good Night Robin", she takes a step back and turns "Good Night Regina"

He watches her walk away and he smiles to himself knowing that in that moment he is in love with the Queen.

 **** SECOND TIME - STORYBROOKE BALL****

It was like pulling teeth from a child, getting Regina to agree to go to the "Storybrook Ball"…her eyes rolled hard as she listened to Snow, Belle and Ruby giggle like a bunch of teenage girls over the idea. They had decided that after the whole Camelot and Emma being the dark one was finally over, they had a reason to celebrate. And truth be told they all missed the extravagance of Camelot….well everyone except Regina.

So here she was sitting on the couch in a oversized blue long sleeve shirt of Robins, and black tights, a bowl of popcorn settled between her legs.

"Regina, love….you need to get dressed"

Her eyes glowered at him "Why? You don't like what I am wearing" a playful smile pulling at her lips.

Robin sighed heavy, sitting down beside her as he popped a few kernels into his mouth "I like you in anything, but you know Snow will be devastated and never let you live it down if you don't go"

She huffed and grabbed the glass of red wine, her eyebrows arch in defiance. Robin smiles at her stubbornness and knows the one thing that will get her to move and get dressed.

He grabs the glass of wine from her hands, placing in on the table before he leans into her with a hard kiss, pressing her body into the arm of the couch, a small surprised moan leaves her.

He sits back and smiles at her flushed expression "I'll cook you breakfast for a week …." His eyes dancing in proposition. She rolls her eyes but beams at him, "Fine. But I want waffles" She kisses him chastely and walks up the steps. They planned to meet at the hall after Robin went to pick up Roland from the Merry Men's Camp.

Music flows out of the speakers, the tables drapped in dark silver and purple silk clothes, each holding a stem of white roses. The place looks beautiful, and the echo of laughter booms around the hall. The entire town was dressed to their finest, couples waltzing on the dancefloor, as other stood in circles animatedly chatting. Robin walks with Roland who is dressed in a navy blue suit, matching his fathers ensemble towards Henry and the Charmings.

"Roland‼ Don't you look handsome‼" Snow bends down and taps his nose. Her eyes find Robins and she smiles soft at him "You look very handsome Robin..." her eyes glimmer in anticipation as she coyly asks Have you seen Regina yet?". He shakes his head no and begins his search. His breath halting as he see's her through the crowd, talking with Belle.

Her body encased in a tight red silk gown, hugging her hips, the sweetheart neckline pushing her breasts up as black lace ribboned the top, curling down the back into a low bow. The dress was stunning, exposing a generous amount of her back as it swept behind her, her olive skin the perfect match to the deep red tone. Her hair half up in a twist, the rest cascading down her back in light waves. Her lips matched the blood red tone of her emsemble. She was stunning.

Regina turns her head and their eyes connect and his jaw drops open. She is wearing the mask she had worn the first time they had kissed back in the Enchanted Forest. His heart pumps in his chest at the memory. The moment he knew he fell in love with her.

She walked over to him, her smile light and blushed at his open jawed expression. "I take it you like the dress" Her sultry voice pulled him back from his shocked state. Clearing his throat he grazed her body, her hips, swell of her cleavage, stopping for a moment on the black onyx and diamond necklace, intricated into what looked to be branches from a tree, a diamond placed at each tip. Following his path, he stares at her lips, plump and so kissable, and then up to her eyes, hidden by the matching black mask, but her eyes are heated, the dark makeup lining her whiskey eyes, a hint of gold sparkle at the corners.

He struggles with words as she smile bright at him "I, uh…." He laughs breathy "Regina, you look stunning"

A light blush build around her cheeks as she dips her head down, her eyes never leaving his "Thank You", her white teeth biting down gently on her ruby lips, causing Robin to groan internally, wishing it were his teeth instead. Her hands place gently on his against his dark blue suit, her eyes dancing behind her mask "You look quite handsome too, I like the mask". Robin smiled, his mask was gold with blue intricated lines curling around the eyes towards to temples. The color illuminated his ocean blue eyes.

He lifts a hand to hers, interlacing their fingers "Would M'lady care for a dance?"

She bites down on her lip in a shy smile and nods her head "Lead the way thief".

He pulls her into the middle of the dance floor as couples roam around them. The music is soft as it coasts around them. Robins arm encircles her waist, his hand placed on Regina's lower back pulling her flush against him. His other hand holding hers to his chest as he begins to sway.

"You truly look beautiful Regina"

She hums and leans her temple to his letting the song surround them as they lose themselves in each other. Regina closes her eyes breathing in the forest smell that sticks to Robins skin, she relishes in it, the feeling of his body against her, the light hum from his voice as he quietly sings in her ear. Her heart burning as she feels his love pour from his soul into her.

"I love you Regina. I love everything about you" his voice is low full of adoration. Regina pulls back a touch, finding his eyes behind the gold mask, "There has to be something you don't like" her voice playful as she smiles.

He returns the gesture "Nope, I love all of you. Your eyes, your lips, your body, the safety you provide our children. The way you fight everyday to protect everyone. How your eyes crease when you are thinking to hard. The way you bite your lip when you are feeling vulnerable. I especially love that you let me love you"

He can see her eyes prickle in tears at his words as she sends him a dazzling smile. He leans in and she closes the gap, their lips meeting is a soft kiss. He can feel her heart beating in perfect sync with his own. He pulls back a breath "I could do without your stubbornness sometimes though" She lets out a laugh "You love that to don't lie" He smiles, and kisses her again murmuring against her lips "Yes, in fact I do"

"I love you Robin"

"And I You"

They spent the entire night in each others arms, letting the world around them fade, and Robin fell further in love with her, if that was even possible.

 ****THIRD TIME - REGINA'S SURPRISE FOR ROBIN****

He walked through the forest, following the instructions Regina had left for him. He was confused when he saw her handwriting scrawled across the paper she'd left on her pillow.

 _"Meet me at 7_

 _At our spot in the forest_

 _R."_

So he did, wearing a black leather coat over a dark green collared dress shirt, tucked into his dark jeans. The summer air was warm, as he pushed through the brush, making his way to their spot, hidden between thick foliage of trees where their log sat.

Cornering the last set of trees' his eyes widen as thousands of little flickering light illumaniate around him, he walks forward into the clearing, and see's Regina standing in a simple black knee length dress, her knee high black leather boot that he loves sit tight agianst her legs, her hair is draped around her shoulders, as her smile beamed from her red lips as her eyes dazzle in sparkle.

His smile widens as she extends a hand forward, to which he instinctively intertwines his fingers with hers, and before she can say anything, he pulls her body into his, catching her lips in a heated kiss. His body tingles from the moan that finds his ears.

Regina pulls back a breath, "Hi" she smiles at him.

"Hi"

She kisses him again softly before taking a step back, pulling him to the blanket that is laying on the grass. A bottle of wine chilling in the ice bucket with two glasses beside it. She motions for him to sit down, and he does, leaning his back against their log. She kneels beside him, tucking her feet underneath her as she pops open the wine bottle, pouring the deep red liquid into the crystal before passing it to him. She pours her own glass and settles in beside him, his arms circling around her shoulders as she leans into him.

Robin places a light kiss against her temple, his voice whispering against her dark hair "What's the occassion, not that I am complaining"

She tilts her chin up to him, a hand places lightly against his cheek, "I just missed you these past few weeks" She drops his gaze in shyness, but he squeezes her in "I have missed you to M'lady".

She smiles as she finds his eyes again and he leans, and she closes the gap. They sit side by side, trading soft kisses as his hands run up and down her shoulders. Minutes trickle by before she pulls back.

Her eyes dancing as her voice gently whispers against his lips "I have another suprise for you"

She stands up, pulling him with her. Turning around to face him she flicks her wrist as his golden mask and her black silk one magically appear. His face beams. As he takes the mask from her hand, Regina donning her own.

"Will you dance with me Mr. Locksley?"

"I would love nothing more, Mrs. Locksley"

She steps into his arms. "Shall I sing…..?" he questions her.

With a flick of her wrist the forest around them softly echoes in their wedding song ... the words embodying who they are. She smiles at him at the first few beats start, leaning into his body as his arm wraps around her slim waist as he begins to sway them.

Her arms encirlce his neck as he hugs her tight.

She presses a light kiss to his neck, before resting her chin on in the junction between his shoulder and neck. His stubble tickling her temple.

 _Looking from a window above_ _  
_ _It's like a story of love, can you hear me?_ _  
_ _Came back only yesterday_ _  
_ _I'm moving farther away, want you near me_

Robin kisses her hair, breathing in her caramel apple scent.

 _All I needed was the love you gave_

 _All I needed for another day_

 _And All I ever knew_

 _Only You_

They sway as the lyrics bleed into them. It's funny how a song can mean so much to the right people.

The night wore on as they danced together, the warm are turning chill as midnight approached them. With a flick of her wrist they were englufed in purple smoke, landing softly on their bed, their clothing gone as Regina curls into Robins side, kissing his smooth shoulder as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

Her breath was heavy as she fell into a deep sleep. He watched her chest rise and fall, her face smooth and breathtaking. Her ebony brown hair splayed gently across her bare back, stray locks covering her face slightly. He smiles and gently brushes them back so he can see her completely, her rose tinted lips parted slightly, long dark lashes casting a shadow on her arched cheekbones. She was without a doubt the most beautiful light in his life.


	36. History Repeats Itself

**Prompt: Post 5x05 - Porch Scene.**

"Good-Bye Miss Swan", turning on her heels Regina closes the door on the dark one, her heart pounding in frustration and anger.

"Are you alright?" Robins asks, his voice concerned as he see's Regina pace heavily back into the living room, her eyebrows creased hard as she runs a hand through her hair. He walks over, extending a hand in comfort which she accepts, interlacing their fingers as he pulls her into a hug, her body melting into his. The steady rhythmic beat of his heart calming her raging nerves. She breathes him in, his pine and cologne infiltrating her system as her heart rate slows.

A twinge of pain radiates through her heart as she pulls away, shaking her head and glancing up the stairs to where her heart broken 13 year old son is, shut it in room.

"I should go check on him…." Her voice heavy

Rubbing her low back Robin presses a light kiss into her temple "He'll be okay Regina. He's got you"

She huffs out an exasperated exhale "I don't understand why she would do that….it's like I'm reliving history but it's my son going through it now". Extricating herself from Robins arms, she trails upstairs, leaving Robin swirling the amber glass of whiskey around as his mind runs in confusion… _reliving history?_...

He sits down on the creme couch, the feeling of question and uncertainty running through his body as he gulps down the rest of the whiskey and leans heavy into the sofa. Silence surrounds him, and he doesn't hear Regina walk back down the stairs 20 minutes later, her feet now bare, padding lightly against the wooden floor.

"Robin? You coming upstairs?" Her voice finally pulls him out from the his haze, and he turns around to see her already dressed in the black silk pants and matching silk tank top, with lace that moulds around her cleavage, her hair is down, sweeping across her face which is now devoid of makeup. He smiles at how beautiful she is, but the concerning emotion pricks back into him.

Regina can see his eyes flicker in hesitation, worry spreading across his face. Her eyebrows arch as she walks over "You okay?" sitting down beside him, tucking her feet into his thighs as she leans against the arm of the couch.

She can see his expression change from concern to compassion and back again as his blue eyes lock onto her chocolate brown, his hand grabbing hers as he brings it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss against her knuckles. "You're kinda scaring me here…."

He smiles at her worry.

"I can't shake this feeling that while what Emma did was wrong, this seems to have shaken you quite hard…." His eyes look up at her face, as her coast down, hiding from him.

"Regina, what did you mean when you said history is repeating itself?"

Her throat constricts as she swallows down a the hard forming lump, the nauseous feeling invading her stomach. She had told Robin very little about Daniel, only that he had died because he loved her, but she never went into detail about it.

Sensing her distress, Robin leans in, tucking a stray lock behind her ear, and moving to tilt her chin up so he can see her. He sucks in a sharp breath at the emotion flooding through her eyes, the battle raging within them to stay calm but the painful ghosts are there.

He brushes his thumb pad against her cheekbone, hoping to soothe the obvious anguish, silently berating himself for bringing it up. Her eyes fill with tears, and she bites her lower lip that has begun to tremble. He is about to apologize but her voice cracks, soft and sad "Do you remember when I told you about Daniel…that he died because he loved me?"

He nods.

She lets out a heavy breath, a stray tear falls from her thick lashes, which Robin is fast to wipe away. The words seem stuck in her throat, threatening to unleash her emotional outburst…..

"It was your mother wasn't it". His voice is low, filled with sorrow and disbelief as he watches Regina nod her head, tears now freely falling as she bends forward, crashing her body into his chest. His arms pull her in tight as his hands card through her hair.

"It was after I had saved Snow, the King proposed to me and my mother accepted. My whole future was taken away in that moment" her cries soft she leans into Robin "I had run to the stables, and begged Daniel to marry me and run, but Snow found us and ran away…. I had chased after her and pleaded that she keep it a secret….and I thought she did" Her fingers clutch against the blue waffle shirt as Robins hand run up and down her back, the other never letting her hand go.

"Daniel and I were about to run, but my mother found out, Snow had told her, and she cornered us in the barn" … her breath chokes as the memory floods through her "I begged her to let me go, and for a half moment I thought she was going to….but then she ripped out Daniels heart and crushed it right in front of me".

Robin's eyes squeeze shut, a tear leaking from the corner of his eyes as he listens to Regina sob, her body trembling hard through the memory. He kisses the top of her heard, whispering apology after apology to her for what she had to go through.

A lot of her life had been very closed off, and he never actually understood the reasons behind the troubled relationship of Regina and Snow, or how a love filled young woman had become known as the Evil Queen. His heart ached in his chest, as he silently wished he could have been there to protect her from all of it.

"Regina, I….." his voice hitches.

She pulls back from his arms, her face wet from crying as she places a gentle palm against his cheek which he leans hard into.

"I wish I could have helped you".

Her heart pounds, the pain forced to the side as love glows through her.

"Sometimes, I wish someone was there to help me….but I wouldn't be here now, if I hadn't gone through that…."

Robin exhales hard "But you also would have had Daniel and would never have had to go through the pain and loneliness that drove you to revenge."

She smiles small, resting her forehead against his … "You're right, but I wouldn't have Henry, or Roland, or You….and that is something I wouldn't ever trade, no matter the heartbreak"

"Still, it wasn't fair"

"No, it wasn't but I can't change the past…but seeing what Emma did, I guess it just struck a really emotional chord in me"

She leans back into his chest, curling her legs over his as his arms hug her waist.

"I Love You Regina"

Her heart smiles.

"I Love You To".

Her eyes close, exhausted from the emotional battle this entire day has created, there would be time to help Henry heal and time to deal with Emma's ruthless action, but in this moment, it felt nice to just be held, feeling safe in her soulmates arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart as it lulled her to sleep.


	37. Technology of this World

**Prompt: Technology that Robin may or may not understand...**

There are things in this new world that Robin still doesn't understand, the moving picture box for one still astounds him, and the microwave, that is the strangest object he has come across. It would take him hours to figure out how to turn on the "TV" and eventually he would give up and wander through the house and out into the yard breathing in the nature he was so used to.

Yes, the gadgets of this world confused him, but there was one in particular he had just found that baffled him completely. He found it when Regina asked if he would grab her birth control pills from the bed side stand _what ever the hell birth control was….how do you control pregnancy with a pill….another wonder of this world_ ….as he searched her night stand his hand bumped a box, long, black and no inscription on it but something moved inside when he shook it. Curiosity took over and he opened it. A bizarre purple item stares back at him. One part long and quite thick curling at it's end, and the other, a smaller bulb projected just in front of it, curling harshly in.

 _The bloody hell is this?_

He toys with it for a few moments and hits one of 3 buttons at the black base and the stick begins to vibrate, pulsing low against his hand. His eyes raise in complete confusion. It must be some sort of massager for stiff muscles he tries to conclude. He changes the button, it pulses hard 3 times and then once long for a solid 5 seconds and then switches back to the 3 pulses.

 _Interesting…. Whats button number 3?_

The sensation nearly makes Robin drop it, Hard long low pulses continuously emits from the thick end as the short bulb end pulses erratically.

 _Not sure if this would be pleasant or not on sore muscles._

He shuts the device off and is about to put it back when he hears Regina walking back from the bathroom.

"Robin, did you get my ….. oh my god…. What are you doing?" she is shocked, blush runs up her naked body which is wrapped in a towel, embarrassment floods through her.

"Sorry love, I was looking for them and found this and curiosity got the best of me….it's fascinating though I must say….but some of the vibrations I'm not sold would feel all that pleasant" He states truthfully.

She lets out a small laugh and walks over to him sitting down on the bed.

"Trust me, they give plenty of pleasure" her low husky voice drawls out to him, eyes dancing with fire.

He see's the change in her demeanor, her breath slightly hitches and her body is flushed with anticipation…. _but why? It's just a weird stick thing…._

Still not quite sold on what this purple device was, Robin innocently asks if she will explain what it does.

 _Oh My God, explain how a vibrator works?_ Her thoughts flood her mind….this could either be incredibly awkward or incredibly sexy….but she has reservations with this type of sexual display.

Blushing, she sits back against the headboard of the bed, her towel dropping open slightly to reveal her tight abdomen and breasts, she can see Robins eyes heat up as he roams her body. Licking his lips he lays on his side, head propped up by an elbow and hand, the device still twirling in his other palm.

"Regina are you okay…you seem flushed, I didn't mean to upset you, I was just curious thats all" he tries to reassure her, seeing the battle in her eyes. He knows she still is somewhat self-conscious with her body, though she may not show it in those her Regal Queen Costumes, where her breasts were piled so high you could bounce a coin off them, or the leather pants that clung to her slender legs and encased her beautiful backside. No outwardly she wasn't shy about her sexuality, but in these intimate moments he has noticed she still shies away from fully giving herself to him.

She huffs out a breath, her voice slightly trembling "It's something women use to pleasure themselves" she closes her eyes in minor embarrassment to the amused and delighted smile that breaks across Robin's face.

"Do you use it often M'lady"

"I don't have a need for it now that I have you seducing me every chance you can, Emma still can't look at me in the eyes after what happened at Granny's" she laughs at the memory of Emma's flushed face, wide eyes and open mouth taking in Regina moaning, dressed hitch over her hips as they wrapped tight around his waist. _Serves the blonde right…._ she smirks.

"Can you show me how you used it" his eyes baiting her, tongue wetting his lips as he playfully baits the woman in front of him.

"No" she smiles back, internally giggling at his defeated 5 year old pout that comes out.

Before he can come up with a retort, she interrupts "but you can use it on me if you'd like"

 _Oh God, that is exactly what I want to do_ , his eyebrows pull up high as Regina opens her towel revealing her naked body underneath. Her chest rises in heavy breathes as Robin moves in between her legs on his stomach, kissing her taunt abdomen.

"Will you tell me what you like?"

Her hips roll against the vibrator resting on her sex "how about you just start and figure it out yourself"

Seems fair enough to Robin as he clicks it on the low setting and watches as Regina's eyes close heavy, her back arching slightly at the sensation. He uses the long end and slowly rubs it up and down her slick folds, coating it in her arousal, his own erection hardening significantly when a whimper escapes her lips.

"Like that?"

"Mmmmmm, more….."

He presses down firm on her clit ….."mmmm like that"…..she is breathing heavy now, parting her legs wider for him as he continues. It takes everything he has not to bend his neck and lap up her taste, it is the most perfect thing in his whole word, she has a faint taste of fruit… _apples?...peaches?,,,,definitely peaches_ ….with a mix of pure sex and musk. God he could live off her arousal.

Brought out of his thoughts as Regina bucks her hips into the vibrator, Robin places a forearm across her, pushing her down into the bed.

Button #2? He changes the pattern and Regina gasps, her hands squeezing the bed sheets beside her. She likes button 2….he smiles. He rotates the vibrator so the small bulb is now pressed firmly against her clit as he bends his wrist up and down letting the longer stick press to her entrance.

 _Christ!_ She can feel her orgasm starting to heat up, her body shakes small trembles and she tries to concentrate on not giving in so soon, wanting this to last as long as possible. The will doesn't last long as Robin pushes the long end inside her core, pumping it in and out torturously slow. Rolling her hips against the vibrations, Regina starts to see stars in her vision, she is so close, she can feel her arousal leaking out of her between her thighs.

"Robin…..fuck…..I'm gonna cum….don't stop" panting between pleas. He is impossibly hard how, watching Regina come undone from this thing, his hands being the ones to provide the piston for her orgasm. He pumps harder and faster, pressing the small bulb hard into her clit. She comes with a small scream "fuck…fuck…fuck…oh god…fuck" and sinks down into the bed.

He turns of the vibrator and crawls up her body, placing chaste kissing along her torso, between the valley of her breasts, up the column of her neck and landing on her lips.

"That was fucking amazing…who knew you had such a flagrant mouth on you" he laughs and breathes out.

Still reeling from her orgasm, she can only manage a small whimper in acknowledgement. _Fucking Fantastic Indeed!_

Once her breathing evens out, she finally opens her eyes and see's his deep blue orbs staring heated down at her.

"You didn't even get to button #3" she smiles out breathlessly.

"You're right, and I am not leaving this bed until I get the full experience"

"Just give me a second, I'm still feeling a bit light headed from your first round"

"As you wish, Your Majesty" he baits her, knowing she loves it when he calls her that. And his efforts are rewarded with a dazzling smile. He could lose himself in her smile, it makes his heart rate pick up rapidly, he could die right now with the thought of her smile in his mind.

A few minutes pass before Robin smiles down "ready for round two ?"

She laughs and nods her head sitting back up as Robin follows her. She starts to lie back down but is caught by his strong forearm "I have another idea…if you will" as he leans his back against the head board, gesturing her to lean her back against his chest. Willingly she slides back against him as he spreads her legs and pulls her knees up into a V.

He leans over grabbing the beautiful instrument he is more that happy he accidentally found, and glides it across her stomach. Kissing the junction of her shoulder and neck, he turns the stick back on, feeling Regina's breath quicken in anticipation.

"Lean back Regina, hook your arms around my neck and keep them there"

It's impossible she thinks but the burning of orgasm is already building at his words and the positioning of her body. Lifting her hands behind her, she lightly claps one behind Robin's neck, the other extending out to the pillows piled beside her. He loves her like this, his eyes can coast down and see her entire body.

He doesn't start on the 3rd setting, letting the first low buzz start to work it's way down into her folds, teasing her as he rubs it back and forth, deliberately avoiding her most sensitive bundle of nerves.

"Do you like that Regina?" his voice low as he nips her neck.

"Yes….."

He dips it down lower encircling her entrance once again, her sex slickening the curved stick. He rubs her a few more times before arching his wrist to slide inside her. Biting down on her lower lip to keep the moan from escaping, she rolls her hips searching for more friction.

"Gently love, I've got you"

He pulses in and out for a few strides and then pulls out, a small whimper crawls out of her voice as her head falls back against his chest "Robin, what are you doing…." Panting out at the sudden loss of contact.

"Trust me"

He lifts himself so he is sitting almost straight up, pulling his knees up into a small V and grabbing the insides of Regina's thighs to move her up his body. She is nearly sitting on him as he places one her her thighs on each of his, spreading her further and creating a good gap between her sex and the mattress.

"Are you comfortable like this?' he quickly asks, making sure she is still okay, he wants this to be as pleasurable for her as possible.

She nods her head "I'm good".

With her nod of approval, Robin turns the vibrator on to setting #3, the hard long pulse mixed with short bursts of vibration start. He moves it back down to her folds and she instantly hitches, her mouth dropping slightly open, eyes closed. Ensuring she is wet enough, Robin presses it back down firmly onto her clit, rolling slight circles with his wrist. One hand finds a hard nipple and he begins to tug and twist it softly.

"Keep going….feels so good". Arching her back, pushing her hips down into the perfect vibrations against her, she can feel her orgasm blooming as her inner thigh become slick.

He moves his hand down and presses into her, only allowing a small portion to enter her core before he pulls out, she whimpers small and is about to protest but is cut off when the thick vibrator is pushed all the way into her, hitting her G spot as the end of it curls, the small bulb pressing firmly against her swollen clit.

"Oh..holy fuck ….Robin…."

He frees her pebbled nipple and wraps his arm around her waist, forcing her to stay down and let his wrist do the pumping. He pulls out of her and pumps back in with a hard thrust, her moaning increases each time he does.

The space between her and the bed provides him with enough room to sink the whole thing into her until his fingers are nearly lost inside as well. He thrust in and out of her as she writhes on top of him, begging for more.

She is so close she can feel the hot coil in her stomach beginning to snap, her breath quickens as she squeezes her eyes shut and lets out a high pitched moan. "Don't stop…..I'm so close…..fuck….don't stop". It crashes down on her as he pumps hard in and out, pleasure rolling internally until she almost thinks she is going to pass out from it. Her back arches into his chest as she nearly screams out.

Robin quickly turns it back down to the lowest setting, the deep vibration pulling every last drop of cum out of her, letting her ride out the orgasm as long as possible.

When it becomes to over whelming and she reaches down and stills his hand, turning off the vibrator and slumping down and back into him, her breasts heaving trying to find as much oxygen as possible.

He kisses her neck and puts the vibrator on the table beside him and proceeds to pull her down into a laying position.

"Did you enjoy that?" he already knows the answer, but he loves it when she boosts his ego with her words.

"fucking fantastic" she laughs out his words he so recently glided at her.

He smiles and lays down on his back as he pulls Regina in, her head on his chest, arm thrown across his stomach, one leg in between his thighs. Rubbing soothing circles down her back and kisses the crown of her head.

"I have to confess something"

Her eyebrows arch in response, a confused look creeps her face.

"I knew what this device was….."

Her mouth drops open in astonishment, the thief played her!

"Oh you're a right ass you know that" as she smacks his shoulder.

"Can you blame me my love…that was one of the sexiest things that I have ever gotten the pleasure to experience" He smiles back at her, his eyes so full of love Regina can't quite maintain the playful scowl on her face.

"You are insufferable"

"Yes but you love me anyway, Your Majesty"

"Mmmmm I suppose I've grown somewhat fond of your forest smell"

He laughs and pulls her in closer to him, and closes his eyes, sleep finally claiming both of them for another blissful night.


	38. Hidden Rooms

**Prompt: Robin was waiting in Regina's secret room in Regina's vault as she and snow tried to figure out the Merlin Mushroom thing.**

"Anything?" Snow's light voice full of question. They had been at this for over an hour, staring at the strange picture of the Mushroom. Regina knew of it from long ago, it had the power to let one talk across forms, (aka the tree Merlin was stuck .in…but they didn't remember that part…what with the memory loss and all…).

"No, but I do know that this Mushroom is powerful, maybe we were using it to try and speak with Merlin?" Her voice low, trying to prove the point even to herself. She hated not knowing, hated having to question something that seemed to be impossible to find. Whiskey eyes scanned the page again, her long red fingernails scratching at its' surface.

Snow sits on the chest beside her in a huff, the weight of the situation so high her shoulders barely can stand it. It's her daughter, her daughter is the dark one, the one that cast a curse on them (AGAIN!), her daughter that now lives with the darkest of powers inside her. This wasn't supposed to happen, they had sacrificed so much to ensure she had the light in her….unknowingly casting Maleficents baby to be cursed with their daughters darkness….and yet for all the trouble it caused them, here they are, battling their own daughter as the Dark One. Green eyes fill with tears as a small whimper coats the vault.

"Hey…..don't fall into that" Regina's lands a hand on Snows' shoulder…her eyes finding the devastated green in front … "It's not going to do Emma any good if you give up on her and give into this…". Silence encoats them, the two women who have probably one of the most muddled, and threateninig pasts, now lean together, finding comfort in one another, it is a moment Regina was certain wouldn't ever happen.

"I'm Sorry….I just don't know what to do….I've never felt this lost before"

A heavy sigh escapes the Queen…."Look, regardless of the past, Emma is Henry's mother just as much as I am, and I love my son to much for him to carry this pain any longer….I will find a way to fix this" . She hopes her smile will bring some peace to her step-daughter, but her heart is heavy in fear and worry, what if she couldn't figure it out, villians never win….how was this any different.

"Thank You Regina" Snows' voice so quiet it barely reaches the older womans ears, but she hears it and rubs her shoulder, turning back to the stack of books behind them.

"C'mon, you can look through that one it's one of Rumples, maybe there is something there…."

They work in quiet, answers eluding them. It isn't until footsteps echo that they are pulled from their trance as David enters the stonely lair.

"I found something!" his voice promising as he walks over, his smile so wide it brightens the room, blue eyes dancing. He holds out the red and white spotted mushroom, beaming in his conquests success.

"Thats' it! That's the mushroom from the book….but where…?" the Queens husky voice echoes out.

"It's a long story, but we have it now"

"David, you did it". His wifes eyes so full of love and adoration it makes Regina roll her eyes.

 _God these two, they are nauseating._ She inwardly breathes…how the two of them don't dissolve from their sugar-infested love state is something she has yet to fully grasp.

Clearing her throat, trying to cut the puppy eyed adoration passing between the two infront of them "Well, I think that our best bet is to keep that safe, and hidden…no one else can know we have it, until we figure out where Merlin is and how to use it"

The Charmings nod in agreement and David passes the magical fungus to Regina.

"You want me to keep it?" her eyebrows raise in shock.

"Well who else would we trust enough…" Snow smiles back.

The words escape her as the clothed mushroom is folded into her hands "Uh…okay…". Her breathe is shaky as she turns and places it into her safe, magically sealing it once it is shut, her mind running quick with insecurities flooding her. She has been trying to change but the idea of the Charmings trusting her so fully with their daughters life is still uncomfortable and new.

Shaking her head, riding it of the shivering thought, she turns and a small smiles crosses her ruby lips.

"Well, I think we should get back to Neil, Granny has had him long enough and we both know he gets fussy when his momma is gone for to long" David grasps his wifes hand and gently pulls her to the steps leading up and out of the vault.

Regina watches them leave, the silence surrounding her as she hears the doors click shut. A harsh breath escapes her, her knees buckling as she sits down on the chest beside her. Long fingers carding through her dark inky locks as her eyes shut tight.

It's to much, she can't be the savior. All these people are suddenly looking to her to be the one to pull Emma from the darkness, to save them all once again. They rely on her as their beacon and the weight of that is crushing against her.

"I can't do this…" her lower lip trembles as she tries to keep the tears at bay. She hates being this vulnerable, but thankfully she is alone and no one is here to see her uncertainty at her own ability.

She sits for a long moment, breathing heavy, trying desperately to calm her nerves. Finally standing she walks back to the stack of books, her high stilettos clicking against the stone ground. She bends over slightly, letting her forearms rest against the wooden table as she flips through Rumples book. The black skirt constricting any real movement of her legs. The air is warm so she discards her black blazer, leaving the blue floral knitted tank behind. Her mind drifts as she reads, not really being able to concentrate on the words infront of her. She stares back at the chest, relishing in the memory of the time Robin chose her, his body rushing to her in a depserate kiss, pouring every last drop of passion into her. She smirks and bites her lower lip, remembering the heated night that ensued, they way his hands clawed at the red dress, forcing the zipper down and leaving her standing in nothing but her heels and black lace lingere. His eyes had darkened with desire, taking in her body and she gloated in the fact he wanted her so terribly. She can feel the heat pool in her stomach, her thighs slightly dampen as she relives that night.

"Penny for your thought M'lady", his strong voice in her ear, startling her as she quickly stands up, hitting his hard chest with her back. His arms encircle her small waist pulling her in closer, breathing her in.

"You scared me…." Her breathe is drenched with desire as she feels his palms coasting up and down her ribs. _God this man could get her so worked up without even trying_.

He brushes her dark hair across one shoulder, exposing the olive skin beneath as he playfully nips her soft skin… "I'm sorry, but I have been waiting forever for those two to leave"

 _Waiting….what…where?..._ the thoughts accumulating in her brain, she had been in her vault nearly two hours, how had she not seen him?

His hands ghost to the underside of her breasts…she can feel him hardening behind her, his arousal brushing against the skirt that clings to her backside.

As if knowing where her mind is, he answers as he sucks on at the junction between her neck and shoulder "Your gaurded room M'lady….I've been sitting in there".

 _Aahhh_ the pieces connect. Robin had found her in that room not long ago, on a night where she had felt the heaviness of the whole Emma situation so thick she couldn't breathe, needing a place to compose herself. His eyes had widened in astonishment as she pushed the brick wall open, allowing him into her secret shelter where they had spent the night wrapped up in one another, him breathing words of stability into her cracked world, making love so softly she thought she'd crumble and sleeping so soundly the world around them seemed to have stopped for a few hours. It had been so perfect, so peaceful, Regina felt herself falling harder in love with her thief than she thought possible.

"I can't believe you didn't get bored in there all alone" her smile breaking as her hands coast through his dark blonde hair.

"Impossible when I had you to look at the entire time….I think you may have worn that skirt just to torture me". His hips grind into her, bending her slightly forward against the wood table, his hands never end their ministrations against the lace shirt.

She smirks at his confession, knowing damn well he loves her in these tight pencil skirts and impossibly high heels, it's become somewhat of a fetish for him and she relishes in it. "Robin…." The words come out husky from her throat as she feels his hands find the zipper of her skirt, pulling it down painfully slow until it drops to the ground, pooling at her feet. His hands squeezing her toned thighs, kneeding against her backside as he pulls her hips back into him, groaning at the contact.

She spins on her heels, stepping out of the skirt, kicking it to the side and pulling him in for a searing, passionate kiss. Her tongue gliding along his lips as they part in. His rich taste coating her mouth, her hands finding purchase one his chest and nape of his neck pulling him in hard. Parting only minimally when their lungs burn for oxygen, their eyes locking, heated tension coarsing through. His palms reach at the hem of her shirt, dragging it up and off her torso, leaving Regina standing in nothing but a dark emerald green bra and matching lace thong, her feet still wearing the black heels.

"God, you are incredible" His breath is hot, as his eyes devour her body. She can feel the wetness pool between her legs at his roaming eyes, his palms brushing up against her rib cage, squeezing her hips. He is far to over dressed she thinks, flicking her wrist and leaving him standing bare infront of her.

His eyebrows rise as he bites his lower lip, his eyes playfully glinting at her impatience. "Eager, Your Majesty?" he jests. They can both feel their arousal heighten as he steps in between her legs, it's been near 4 days since they have been connected like this, a record for the two of them, one they are more than happy to break.

Pushing her back, Robin lifts her thighs up so she is sitting on the wooden table, spreading her legs apart as he situates himself between. Their lips find each others in a hot dance, tongues suckling in as their drink in each other. Regina leans back resting her elbows down, her eyes dark with desire, her voice dripping in need…"God Robin….I want you so bad". His eyes close at her words, feeling her legs wrap around his waist, her delicate hands coasting up and down his chest, he could explode from just listening to her. His hands tug her hips snug against his erection as he grinds his hips into her, feeling her heat beneath the lace. His lips attaching the the cleavage presented to him. Trailing his tongue across the swells her her breast, he reaches around her and find the clasp, making quick work and disposing of the garmet. His mouth latches on to a pink nipple, sucking it into a hard knot as his hand squeezes gently at her other breast, rolling the nipple between his fingers.

Her heart pounds against her chest as a moan rolls from her. She could spend a lifetime like this, with Robin pleasuring her as if it is his lifeline. His hands leave her breast and pull off the wet lace that is acting as their last barrier between the needed skin on skin contact. She goes to kick off her heels but Robin's heated voice stops her "Leave them on", she nearly breaks at his demand, her orgasm already burning in her stomach.

His hands find purchase against her hips as he tugs her closer, angling her body so his hard erection can press against her core, pushing up through her slick folds, coating himself in her sex. He groans at the contact, the feeling of her arousal slickening his own.

"Robinnn-" she breathlessly begs him, rolling her hips as he continues to glide through her, never quite letting himself enter her where she needs him most, needs him to fill her so thickly. His lips attach to her neck, sucking the skin hard for a second and then letting his tongue soothe the patch. A hand skates down her stomach and finds her clit, pulsing against his fingers as he rubs small pressured circles, pulling her orgasm higher as he hears a high pitched moan fall from her lips.

"Gods Regina, you are the sexiest woman…." He tries to continue but is stopped point blank as she grabs his chin, forcing him to find her eyes as she drawls out a husky demand "Shut up and Fuck Me Outlaw".

He has never been one to say no to her, and he never will be. He thrusts inside her in one quick beat, her breath catching in her throat at the sensation of him hitting the back of her. She wraps her legs higher against him, bringing her knees around his ribs, arms gliding across his shoulder blades as he silently commands him to take her further. He finds a fast, deep rythym, one that hits her g-spot with each pulse, his pelvis grinding against her clit as he pushes hard in and out of her core.

"Fuck….Robin….don't stop…please…don't stop" her voice is whining and uncontrolled. He can feel her walls pulsating around his member, his own orgasm hot under his skin as he pounds as far as he can into her, his mouth swallowing her moaning gasps as he kisses her.

Stars swim in her vision as the blood pounds in her ears, her lungs clawing for air as her orgasm takes over her body, the wave pleasure makes her nearly succumb to momentary blackness, but the sounds of his voice, deep in its tone, begging her to let go, to let him see her eyes as she comes keeps her in reality. They find each other, bright blue holding her dark whiskey brown as he thrust once more, filling her with his orgasm, the mix of their arousal coasting down her inner thighs as she falls back onto the table pulling his torso with her as they calm their erractic hearts, beating incomprehensibly fast.

The sweat of their bodies soak into each other, the only sound is their heavy breaths ricoheting off the walls. Her hands rub against his back as his lips nuzzle against the column of her neck, placing chaste kisses to her flushed skin.

He stands and slips out of her, Regina whinces at the loss of contact, but his hands hold her down, ghosting the underneath of her breasts, forcing her to lay flat against the table as her heeled legs dangle from the edge. Robin leans down and kisses the taut muscles of her stomach, once, twice, three times before moving up to her lips, consuming her swollen lips. "I think I should scare you more often", he laughs against her parted mouth …"If this is the end game, I am rewarded with". He kisses her again softly.

"Have I ever told you, I am a fan of being scared" Her lips part in a beautiful wide smile, the ones only reserved for Robin.

"Duly noted M'lady, how about a Haunted House at Halloween next week?"

They stay in her vault the entire night, tangled together on the bed in her secret room, the room that has become all their own.


	39. Healing A Heart

**Prompt: Robins finds out Regina has a secret talent**

It had been a tense few days, his daughter had been born 7 months early, shocking everyone. Regina had taken off to go find Emma who had kidnapped Zelena and something was going on with Hook. He had been off since the day Emma took him. Robin sat in the nursery Regina had magically created after she got back from Emma's house. It was beautiful, and reminded him so much of her. His heart ached as he watched her hands twirl and purple smoke emanated from them, decorating the bare room. The walls painted pale pink, like a dusty rose, windows trimmed in black lace. The white crib landed in the corner with a mobile of ruby apple's dancing above it. A soft rocking chair beside it, cushioned in a dark shade of red. A mural of an apple tree similar to the one in her backyard painted the opposing wall. He smiled as he watched her pick out the littlest of details, down to the white teddy bear that landed in her crib.

The smoke had disappeared and he could have sworn he heard a small heavy sob escape her. He had placed one arm around her, the other holding his little girl as he pulled Regina in close, placing a tender kiss on her temple, whispering a light thank you into her ebony locks. She didn't respond with words, only a slight nod of her head before stepping from his embrace, turning as she shielded her face from his and walked slowly from the room. He watched her go, his heart breaking as he let her fingers slide through his without another word.

They hadn't had the chance to talk, really talk. There had been moments where she had promised to keep his daughter safe, a small lingering kiss on his cheek in an attempt to ease his own tortured soul. She'd been there for him, in silent console. It tore at him as he realized he hadn't done enough in return. He saw the sadness in her eyes, the weak smiles she gave him during their visits to Zelena as they checked up on the baby. He wanted to have a real conversation with her, but everything happened so fast, every moment they had a chance to be alone and he thought about starting someone interrupted them, or rather another chaotic distraction.

So here he sat, rocking his new born daughter, her eyes had his shade of blue, dimples heavy set against her chubby cheeks. He thanked the gods above that she resembeled him more than her wicked mother. Regina had done her best to cope, beated bottles for her feedings, taking care of Roland when he was preoccupied, she took care of everything. But it didn't go unnoticed to him that she hadn't been heavily involved with his daughter, she let him rock her, let him feed her, she would wake him up in the middle of the night when she cried. Initally he had thought it odd, but after the days rolled on he could see the longing pain in her eyes. This was creating a palpable distance between them and he hated it. Hated the sadness, the anguish she was going through and he could do nothing to ease her breaking heart.

His little Rose fell asleep against his chest and he gently laid her down into the soft fuzzy blankets of her crib. Robin rubbed her back for a few minutes, drinking in her warm light breaths before exiting, clicking the door shut.

He padded to their bedroom, but found it empty. His eyebrows creased as he searched the desolate room. A light twinge in his heart pulled at him. They hadn't been inimate in two weeks. Everytime he kissed her, he could feel the hesitation behind her lips. The way her hands lightly placed against his chest rather than the usual pull against his clothing as she used to deepen their kiss gone. He had tried trepedatiously one night, letting his hands glide over her soft skin underneath her silk blouse, but she had pulled away, shaking her head whispering an apology as she retracted herself from his embrace. He'd let her go, and hadn't pursued any initmate nature since, letting her take the lead instead. His heart ached as the days went on and her demeanor hadn't changed. She'd kiss him lightly, hug him quick, never letting the contact last long.

Sitting down on her side on the bed, his hands coasted along the cold mattress devoid of her warmth. Silence coated the room as he sat there in the awful quiet. He glanced at the clock, his heart sinking at the red glaring numbers hit midnight. His mind unsettled at her whereabouts. Deciding to call her, he jogged down the steps, finding the phone in the kitchen. His fingers about to dial but his eyes caught a dim light coming from the underneath of the shut den across from him.

He sighed and walked over to the door, his hand resting heavy on the cool brass knob before twisting and pushing it open. His breathing hitched as he saw her sitting at the grand baby piano, the music melodic as it found him. He watched her from the doorway, her slender fingers gliding along the ebony and ivory keys. The song was sad, hitting low tender notes before rising into anguished high points.

She was sitting on the black bench, hunched over as her hair cascaded around her shoulders. The small burning embers from the fire crackled around the room, glowing her skin in a heavy dimmed warmth. Though he thought to leave her alone, the melancholic music she was playing tugged his heart to hard, and his feet carried him slowly towards her.

He hesitated for a moment before settling down on the bench beside her. She didn't move, her eyes glazed in a mist as she concentrated in a daze at her fingers stroking the keys. He could see a stray tear drip from her heavy thick lashes as a she bit her trembling lower lip. He didn't know what to do, did he place his arms around her, pull her in in an attempt to soothe her. He desperately wanted to do something but he was frozen as she started the song over, letting the song drape around them once more. So he watched her instead, watched as her chocolate eyes closed, her mind falling into the song. A few minutes passed and she hit the last few keys and then silence fell around them. Her breathing heavy as tears fell from her closed eyes. He couldn't deny his need any longer, his arms wrapped around her, sliding one around her waist, the other around her shoulders as he pulled her into his chest. Thankfully she went willingly, tucking her head under his chin. They sat quiet together, as he rubbed her shoulder, kissing her the crown of her head ever few seconds.

"I'm Sorry" her voice cracked first into the quiet

He hugged her harder before tilter her chin up so their eyes could meet. His heart broke as he saw the unshed tears filling in her eyes.

"Regina, you have nothing to be sorry for"

She swallowed hard, as she let her gaze fall from his, "This is all my fault"

"No. Regina. Don't think that"

Her eyes flickered back up to his, "How can I not? She wants to destroy my happy ending, and unfortunately, that includes you"

Robin sighed heavy, "This situation is messy, I understand. But never think that my loving you is wrong"

Her heart thrummed in her chest as she leaned her forehead to his, her breath a whisper against his lips "Robin.."

"No, Regina. Listen to me. I love you"

She heaved a harsh breath as a few more tears fell from her lashes "That's my point"

He pulled back, his palm finding her cheek as his thumb stroked her soft skin, his eyes confused at her statement.

"If you didn't love me, you wouldn't have been forced into my mess of a life, you could have been spared all this torture"

Robin smiled but his heart sank. "It would be torture to have never loved you Regina" he stroked her cheek bone a few soft times before continuing "My heart is whole because of you. I would have lived a life always searching for the last piece of my happiness. And I know that this is not what we wanted for our future, but if I am being completely honest, I would rather have to fight through this mess with you beside me then without you. I love you, till the day I am taken, I will love you, you are everything I need and I can't thank you enough for being beside me, for loving me…"

A moment of silence surrounded them as they stared into each others eyes and he was about to continue on, hoping to soothe the battle of emotions he still saw in her eyes, but his motions were cut off as her lips founds his. Soft, warm and strong as one of her hands clasped around his neck the other firmly planted against his cheek. He kissed her back with all the love he could, his own palms tugging her body flush against his. The desperation in her kiss heightened as she moved to straddle his legs, deepening thier kiss as her tongue played momentarily along the lining of his lips before he opened his mouth, letting their tongues touch for the first time in weeks.

Her moan spurred him on as he rolled her hips against his, drinking in her taste of mixed red wine and apple. Her hands let his neck, trailing down his torso before finding the hem of his shirt, tugging it up and over his head, breaking their kiss momentarily. Their heavy breathing matched one another as their eyes locked. His own palms ghosted across her silk blouse, running up her back a few times before his figners danced across the bottom lace. She leaned back a breath, her own hands pulling the garmet over her head, revealing the dark evergreen lace bra underneath. His eyes settled hungrily on her cleavage, before his tongue darted out, lightly kssing and licking at the freckles between her breasts. Her fingers played in his hair as she pulled him closer, her hips rollng gently across his hardened demin groin.

"Regina, if you don't want this, I understand"

Her slender fingers tilted his chin up, and she kissed his hard, her voice husky as she whispered against his needy lips "I miss you"

"And I you, but if you aren't ready-" his words are interrupted again as she pressed her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her hips as he stood, pushing the black piano bench behind them. Rounding the curve of the paino, he sat her down gently on the black cool surface, laying her down gently till her back flattened to the surface. His lips found hers once more, before trailing down her neck, sucking gently against her pulse point before coasting down into her full breasts. Her back arched at his ministrations, and his nimble fingers unclipped the clasp behind her, freeing her breasts to him. He discarded the material to the side as he pulled a pink nipple into his mouth, sucking with fervour till the peak was hard, his thumb circling the other.

She could feel the desire pooling between her legs. It felt like an eternity since she had felt his touch. Though it may have been her doing, creating this distance between them, it couldn't be avoided in her heart. Everytime he had kissed her, her mind wandered to Zelena, wondering if he kissed like this. With each press of his palms against her rib cage, she grimaced at the flickering memory of knowing he had made love to her sister, the fact he had given up hope on finding her, moving on without trying. It was torture, though she heart wanted him, her mind constantly betrayed her.

Her breath hitched as she felt his hands pull down the zipper of her black jeans, his palms lifting her backside as he pushed the offending material down her things, dropping it to the floor in a light thud. She reached up for him, wrapping her legs around his thick strong waist as she kissed him with heated passion. His fingers danced along the hemline of the matching green laced underwear, the sensation pooling in anticipation in her stomach as his fingers dipped below the fabric, gliding through her wet folds.

She moaned in a high pitched tone as she kissed him hard, arching her back into his touch. A small gasp escaped her lips as two of his calloused fingers pushed inside her hot core, curling to press the spot that drove her to the edge of bliss.

"Are you alright?" he questioned as he watched her eyes close shut as his fingers slowly pumped in and out of her.

She shook her head in acceptance as her lushes lips parted, her breathing heavy as she whispered "Yes, Don't Stop"

His fingers continued their sensual assualt as hi thumb circled hard against her sensitive clit, pressing hard circles to hit. The sighs of approval floating from her lips spurring him on, sending heavy shock waves of pleasure down his own arousal, making him brutally hard as his erection strained against his denim. He felt her walls flutter and clench around him as a pumped a third finger into her. Her nails scratched his back, leaving red marks he wouldn't care about behind.

"Kiss me" her breath panting hard as she clung to him.

His lips crashed to hers as orgasm took ahold of her body, pulsing through her veins as it waved through her veins. He could feel the pooling of her arousal in his palm as he guided her through her pleasure. He body began to relax, going limp in his arms as she fell back gently to the piano's table top. He watched as her breasts rose and fell with each heavy breath, her eyes closed in bliss as one arm covered her forehead, the other placed gently on his chest.

He leaned down, kissing her gently as the fog began to lift from her mind. His heart fluttered as he saw her eyes open slowly, and a happy smile pulling at her lips.

"I love you Regina"

He kissed her again, his hands gliding up and down her toned stomach.

Her legs wrapped around him, pulling him tight as she kissed him back murmuring her equalled affection in response.

Though the throbbing in his groin was immense he dare not push her farther than she was willing. And as though she heard his thoughts, she rolled her pelvis against his "You are wearing to many clothes thief"

His heart smiled at his nickname, she used it few and far between, but he knew it was her way of showing him she loved him. He smiled against her lips before leaning back, unbuckling his pants and letting them slide to the ground along with his black briefs, baring himself to her in fullness. Regina bit down on her lower lip as desire coated her chocolate eyes. His fingers found the sides of her lace panties and he pulled them down slowly, revealing her own perfected body him. As he stared at her beauty, a thought crossed his mind as it many times before…he could get lost in the gloriousness of her body, the swells of her hips and breasts and the toned olive skin of her legs and abdomen. His palms gliding across her thighs as he leaned down into her, tugging her hips to the edge of the piano, his hard erection bumping into her slicked core.

She moaned and arched her back at the contact, her hands gliding through her splayed out dark hair. Leaning down he took a nipple into his mouth, toying with it lightly as he lined his body up with her, pushing slowly into her core. His brain went hazy as her warmth encircled him, her walls clutching against him before releasing as he glided into her.

He let her breast go with a pop, before kissing her sternum, column of her neck and finally finding her lips. They met in passion as he began to roll his hips into her, filling her with each slow thrust. Her legs wrapped tight, pulling him deeper as she met him. He glided his fingers through hers, intertwinning their fingers as they continued their rythmic push and pull.

He could feel her edging towards her peak as her walls clenched against him, her lips falling from hs as her breath began to hitch and pant. Their eyes locked as her pleasure took over, a wave of electricity rolling through her veins as she screamed through her climax. He met her with two more thrusts, burying his face into the crook of her neck, biting her skin gently as he filled her. His body slumped into hers hard, as her arms wrapped around his back as she kissed his shoulder gently.

A moment passed as their breath settled, their heart beats calming in unison. He lifted he face to meet her eyes, and he kissed her lightly a few times before resting his forehead to hers.

The shake of his legs evident and she smiled before waving her palm and they settled through her purple smoke into their soft bed, Regina wrapped around his torso as he head leaned against his heart. His palms gliding on her naked back before resting at the base of her spine.

"I didn't know you could play the piano" his voice soft as he kissed her forehead.

She hugged him tighter "I taught myself when Henry was a baby, it was the only way he would settled down and fall asleep"

"It was beautiful. Why don't you play more often?"

Regina sighed as her fingers drummed lightly across his bare chest "I never had a reason to play once he was grown up and Emma came to town"

"So what made you tonight?

A fraction of quiet passed before she whispered "I heard Rose crying and I wondered if it would help her…."

He smiled and pressed a lingering kiss to her as he hugged her in tight. He knew that she loved him, loved his son, and though it may take some time, and he would be there for her every step of the way, his heart bloomed at the realization that she loved his daughter….their daughter.


	40. 9 Months

**Finding Out:**

Sitting at her desk, she stares down at her now cold coffee… her fingers drumming against the mug as she stares at the white stick in front of her. She doesn't have any reaction, her body is frozen at the little pink plus sign that glares up at her. Her legs start to turn numb from her body's tense rigidity.

The clock is the only sound in the office … _tick….tock…it's impossible….tick….tock….you can't be…..tick….tock…you made sure of that….tick…..tock_

She shakes her head, picking up the test … _It's probably wrong…._ Throwing it into the trash can along with the other 5 positive tests she had taken and discarded. Regina grabs her jacket and walks through the office door, leaving behind her little collection of impossibility.

 **2 Weeks Later:**

"Oh Robin she really is beautiful, and I love the name Lacey" Snow's voice cooes out as she rubs the little infants belly. The tiny girl wrapped in a purple fleece blanket, being held gently by her father as he smiles down at his daughter. Regina stands against the kitchen archway behind them, watching as they purr over the new baby.

Zelena had given birth five days ago, and her whole world was thrown upside down. She knew that they were bringing the baby home, mentally trying to prepare herself for these moments, but it didn't matter how hard she tried, and how ferociously she loved Robin, that little baby girl's strawberry blonde hair sent guilty pain through her. She'd never let Robin know how she was feeling, and there were a few times in the past days where she would catch him singing softly to his daughter or cradling her tight as her tiny cries echoed, that she felt overwhelming adoration for him and the little princess. Her mind was in constant battle.

Her hand unconsciously moves down to her flat abdomen, fingers tracing small circles against the silk fabric. She hadn't gone back to the pregnancy tests, they couldn't be right, she had taken that potion to ensure she would never biologically have children. So no, she knew she wasn't pregnant, no matter what those ridiculous white sticks said. Her minds wanders though, the image of Robin holding their own daughter, chocolate brown hair and ocean blue eyes, her dimples deep set against the rosy cheeks she'd have. Her heart clenched at the thought and she turns back into the kitchen….no point in dwelling on things that couldn't ever happen.

 **1 Month Later:**

It's the third time this week she has thrown up and Robin is starting to get worried. Her body is thinning, cheeks a bit more hollow, dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. He'd asked her multiple times if she wanted to see a doctor, but she dismissed him quickly, claiming it was just the flu and she'd be fine in a few days.

He doesn't stop worrying about her, but his mind is a touch preoccupied with the new baby. He is head over heels in love with his daughter, her happy blue eyes, rolls of baby chub around her legs and arms, he is wrapped around her finger completely.

Walking back into their bedroom, he see's Regina curled into a ball on their bed, tucked in heavy under the thick blanket as he thinks she has finally fallen asleep. He lays down beside her and goes to pull her in, but her body tenses at his touch.

"Don't…." Her voice is cracked as she rolls further away from him.

Robin reluctantly retracts his hand, she hadn't been as responsive to him as usual, barely allowing him to touch her, kiss her or make love to her. Irritation was always there in her body, her voice and eyes. He knew that bringing Lacey into their home would be a transtition, but Regina had agreed, even suggested it. Exhaling heavy, he rolls onto his back, eyes closing in confusion at the woman laying beside him.

He is about to drift into sleep when he feels her fling out of bed, running frantically to the bathroom, as she slams the door shut. He can hear the faucet turn on, but the sounds of her retching are to loud to be drowned out. He stands quick, and clicks the door open, finding Regina splayed over the toilet, her hair falling into her face as her body shudders in violent illness.

Sitting down behind her, he grabs her hair gently, pulling it out of her face, and starts rubbbing smooth circles around her back, hoping to soothe her.

"Regina, love. I need to take you to the doctor" his voice drenched in concern as she hurls again.

Steadying her breath, she wipes her sweaty brow…her voice shaking "I'm fine"

His temper flares a touch at her stubbornness…. "Regina, you aren't fine. Stop being like this and let me take care of you"

Tears prickle her eyes as Robin's arms wrap around her waist pulling her against his chest.

"Please"

She nods, but inhales sharply as Robin's hands take purchase on her stomach…. And the tears fall from her lashes.

 **The Next Day**

She chews on her nails nervously as Robin leans against the white stone wall of the clinic room. Whale had been gone for nearly 30 minutes and she was beginning to worry…maybe there was something actually wrong…

Sensing her distress, Robin steps forwards, leaning into kiss the crown of her head as he squeezes her shoulder… "I'm sure it's nothing, but I am thankful that you agreed to this"

She nods in indifference, but the uncertainty eats away at her.

Her heart pounds as Whale walks back through the door, his expression holding a trace of disbelief, concern and oddly happiness.

His english accent is bouncing "Well, you don't have the flu….but there is something ….. "

Regina rolls her eyes at him, huffing out exasperated "I'm in no mood for a guessing game Whale".

His face frowns at her tone, as he extends the papers in his hands towards her "Regina, you are pregnant"

Silence falls heavy on the three. She feels the bile rising in her throat, her vision blurring as black spots invade, the dizziness overwhelming and then it is nothing but black.

She can hear Whale's voice in the distance as her mind tries to pull out of the fog.

" I'd venture she is about 9 weeks or so, but the baby seems healthy, regardless of the state Regina is in. You need to make sure she is actually eating and taking care of herself"

"Yeah of course"

"How's she been doing with the addition of Lacey?"

She can hear Robin sigh heavy "I think it's been difficult for her, but she is doing as best as she can….It's not easy and I understand that"

Whales hums in response and a few seconds of silence follow as she hears him leave and the door close behind him. Robin is at her side in a second, his hands lacing with hers across her stomach, his fingers lightly rubbing her flat abdomen where their baby is.

She hears him breath heavy, his voice low and soft "Hello, little one. It's your daddy. I can't tell you how excited I am to meet you. I promise I will protect you. Your mother to, I promise to always show you how much I love her"

Regina's heart glows at his words, and she squeezes Robins hand, opening her eyes to see him leaning into her, his eyes full of concern and adoration.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

Her tongue darts out, wetting her dry lips …. Her voice slightly shaking "Okay, I guess". She swallows hard as tears prick her eyes.

"Regina, what's wrong?" his hand leaves her stomach and rests against her cheek.

"I'm scared"… and a tear falls

 **4 Weeks Later (Regina is 3.5 Months Along)**

His hands circle around her waist, resting gently on her slightly rounded stomach as he presses a kiss to her neck, smiling into her hair "She's getting big".

"She?" Her eyebrows arch, eyes finding his in the vanity mirror.

" Mmmmm, I can see her already, dark hair like yours, and blue eyes, pink chubby cheeks and adorable dimples…. I'm gonna be a gonner you know"

She smiles, leaning into his chest "I think it's a boy….your complete twin, just cuter"

He laughs lightly kissing her soft olive skin "Maybe it's twins, one of each"

Her smile beams at him "Could you imagine, we'd have 5 kids, 3 under the age of 1. Good-bye sleep"

"It would be worth it, come on Roland is dying for those waffles you promised him"

He laces his fingers in hers, walking down the stairs and into the kitchen where Henry is holding Lacey beside a eager awaiting Roland.

The morning is filled in laughter, Rolands face covered in whipped cream as he throws bite after bite of cinnamon waffles into his mouth. Regina leans against the counter, watching her beautiful family. Robin rocks a sleepy Lacey against his chest, her hair no longer blonde but tinging red….Regina's heart clenches….she had desperately wished the little girl wouldn't hold any resemblence to her mother, it would have been easier if she was a mini me of Robin, but as the days pass on, any semblance of her father slowly leaves her.

She was nearing 4 months, her face filling out in baby fat rolls, she was adorable but there was always that small twinge of guilt that resided deep down that Regina couldn't let go of.

Her hands gently coast small circles over her own growing bump, attempting to soothe her battered mind. Robin had been over attentive to her since they found out she was pregnant, spending every spare minute he had doting on her. She could see the exhaustion on his face, having to parent 3 children while ensuring she and their own baby felt cared for. Guilt washes over her again, she thinks she should be more independant, not lean on him so heavy…but it's so easy, he is always there.

"Mom, I'm gonna head over to Emma's" Henry's happy voice pulls her out of the fog.

Wiping her hands in the cloth, she quickly brushes her self straight "Lemme walk with you"

Henry rolls his eyes "Mooooom, I'm 14, pretty sure I can make it 10 blocks"

She laughs but her maternal side comes out "I know, but maybe I just want to walk with you"

He smiles back at her, conceeding as he moves out of the kitchen grabbing their jackets and waiting at the front door.

She walks over to Robin, placing a gentle hand on Laceys chest, feeling the baby's deep sleep filled breathing. Her eyes turn, noticing Robin smiling at her … "You gonna be okay if I leave for an hour or so?"

"Of course my love, I'll probably try to nap after I take Roland to daycare, take your time" his hand cups her palm, pressing a light kiss into her.

She smiles and leans in to kiss him softly "I'll bring you back some lunch, burger okay?"

"Sounds perfect".

She walks out the kitchen and follows Henry outside.

"Regina, I can't believe you are pregnant, you look beautiful!" Her eyes roll hard at Snow's overly cheerful greeting as she walks into the apartment.

They chat about nothing for a few minutes, as they wait for Emma to arrive to pick up Henry…Snow bouncing a near year old Neil on her hip, the princes giggles gurgling out loudly at his mothers singing voice.

Emma walks through the door just then "Hey, sorry I'm late! Regina! How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thanks"

"Hows little Lacey doing?"

Snow watches as Regina's usually stoic mask falls for a fraction of a second before she smiles at the blonde "She's good, Robin's absolutely in love"

Emma nods, oblivious to the slight pain in Regina's voice. "Okay well I'll bring Henry back by 9, that good with you?"

Regina nods and stands up to meet Henry, pulling him into a quick hug "Have fun"

She watches as her son closes the door, letting out a heavy breath at the sound of it clicking shut.

Turning back to Snow "I should go"

"Regina, wait"

Snow's green eyes soften at her, and the feeling of uncomfort edging through her.

The younger woman walks around the counter, and gently squeezes Regina's arm

"Is everything okay? You seem a bit sad when this should be the happiest time of your life"

Regina scoffs, twisting away from Snows grasp as she runs her hands through her hair, tears beginning to wet her eyes. She hears Snow put Neil down in his crib, and walk over to her, placing a palm against the small of her back "Hey…what's going on?"

Blinking hard, a few traitorous tears fall as Regina's breath drops heavy "I just feel like an awful person"

Snow stears Regina to the couch, sitting down beside her…. "Regina, you have changed so much, you are a completely different person now"

Shaking her head, she composes the shake in her voice "That's not entirely true"

Snow's eyebrows knit together in question.

"I am scared….I love this baby so much already, but there is always this tinge of guilt following me around everytime I see Lacey"

Snows eyes widen at Regina's confession but she holds her tongue, letting Regina get through the obvious inner battle.

"I love her, I really do, but I just see Zelena and it's eating me alive" She inhales hard, swallowing down the emotional bubble that threatens to explode . "I'm afraid that once this baby comes, I'm going become over protective of her, loving her harder than I do Lacey, just to prove a point I don't even understand really, and it will force Robin away and I'll wreck everything". Her head falls into her hands as her will power falters, and a light sob comes out.

Snow's heart aches as she rubs Regina's back, fighting to figure out the right words.

A minute passes before Snow finally finds her voice "Regina, you love deeper than anyone I know, there isn't anything that could change that. I know this whole thing with Lacey has been hard on you, but in truth I don't know how much better you could be handling it. I don't think I would have been able to go through this like you are"

Regina straightens up, wiping the stray tears "You're Snow White, you would walk through this gracefully, and not harbouring this resentment at an innocent baby"

Snow shakes her head, smiling softly "That's where you are wrong, I may be Snow White, a fairytale princess who people believe is a complete marshmallow, but in truth, I am selfish, and if David had a child with another woman I would be broken"

Regina smiles as tears fall again "I don't know what to do"

"Well have you talked to Robin about it?"

She shakes her head "No, that wouldn't be fair. I can't tell him that I resent his daughter"

"You don't resent her Regina, you love that little girl to pieces, you just resent the situation, that's different"

"I don't really see how"

Snow shrugs and places a loving palm on Regina's small swollen stomach "You deserve to be happy Regina. You are going to have the most gorgeous little girl and you have Robin and 3 other beautiful children. Revel in that"

 **1.5 Months Later (Regina is 5 Months Pregnant)**

Hot water coasted down her back, soothing the tense muscles in her shoulders and lower back, the steam filling up the bathroom, fogging up the glass shower walls. She was exhausted, the baby had begun to move, it was exciting and her heart beat fast everytime she felt her son move. She'd been terrified at the potential fact she could have lost the baby, only a few weeks ago. The pain was blinding, setting her body on fire. She had screamed out in pain and Robin had come sprinting into the bedroom in a state of panic.

Her eyes streamed with tears as her stomach cramped hard, her sobs uncontrollable in fear. Robin hadn't wasted a second, scooping her up in his arms and racing to the hospital, all the while holding her hand as she squeezed his palm harshly, but he didn't dare show the pain of her crushing grip. His heart was racing, panic and fear coursing through his body as she was stretchered away into Emergency, leaving him standing in glaring silence as he watched his soulmate and child being rushed away.

He had waited in the hallway, his mind a blur waiting for someone to tell him she was okay, the baby was okay. Hours passed and finally their OB-GYN came out, Robin immediately standing to his feet, tracing her face in severe concern. His breath exhaled hard in relief as Dr. Gwen smiled at him, placing a comforting hand against his forearms "They are fine, Regina is just sleeping, and the baby is healthy"

His heart jumped into his throat, silently thanking whoever above for saving them.

"What happened?"

"Stress - Regina needs to relax, it's taking a toll on her body and yes, I know, the Mayor doesn't exactly sit with her feet up very easily"

"Well she will have me to deal with, and I can be even more stubborn than she….can I go see her?"

"Yes of course"

He walked past the doctor and into the room, his heart aching as he sees Regina heavy in sleep, an IV poking into her left arm. Quietly so not to wake her, he sits down in the chair, putting one hand against her stomach, the other finding her hand.

She stirred at the contact, her head turning slowly to face him as her eyes cracked open, her voice raspy "Hey"

His eyes soften as he leans down to kiss her forehead… "Hi, how are you feeling?"

"Okay" her hands find her belly, eyes quickly growing in concern

"He is fine, healthy and happy"

She lets out a heavy breath "Oh Thank God" a stray tear falls down her cheek.

"You are on strict relaxation orders till this lil man is ready, understood"

She smiles and nods in half acceptance.

A sudden chill of air hits her back as goosebumps flare, though they are quickly abated by the heat of Robins chest against her back, his hands encircling her as he rests his chin on her naked shoulders.

"Hi"

"Hey"

His hands fall onto her stomach "How's mom feeling?"

She leans back into him "Tired, but this is helping"

He kisses her neck, his hands trailing up to her breasts, squeezing them gently before rolling a nipple between his forefinger and thumb, a moaning approval leaves Regina's throat. Her breasts had swelled, growing at least two cup sizes and Robin loved it, not that he didn't love her body before, but she was so round, and soft under his touch.

"Mmmmmm that's nice" her head lolling back into the crook of his neck as he kisses down the coloum on her throat. She can feel the wetness pooling in between her thighs, her hormones on overdrive, and her legs instinctively part, an action to which Robin notices. He trails a palm over her stomach, and in between her thighs, gently stroking through her heated folds.

Regina bites down on her lips, her hands circling around the back of Robins head, pulling him into a searing kiss. Their tongues glaze across each other, sucking in each others lips as his hands press hard into her pulsing clit. She moans hard into his mouth, sending her arousal straight into his hard erection pressing into her back.

"Robin….more" her voice drips in sexual desire as she arches her backside into him, rubbing her body against his hard member, making him groan at the action. Without a second passing he dips two fingers into her entrance and she lets out a light gasp. He works her up, pumping in and out of her sex as he feels her clench around him, the tight coil of her arousal tipping close to the edge. His thumb rubs her clit in hard circles as he pinches her nipple in his other hand, and her knees buckle lightly as orgasm rolls through her. He continues to pump through her climax, pulling every ounce of arousal from her body. She slumps forward, her hands bracing herself against the cool tiles as she regains her breath, coming off her high.

He follows her, kisses between her shoulder blades as he removes his fingers from her, a reluctant groan at his actions escapes her. He strokes his hard erection and presses it into her dripping sex, one hand gripping her hip as he slides into her. The moan in unison at the connection. Her back arching pulling him in to the hilt.

"Fuck, Regina" He bites the skin between her shoulder blades as her walls clench around him. He rolls his hips, slowly thrusting in and out as she growls in pleasure. His arm wraps around her ribcage under her breasts, his other finding her clit again, pinching it lightly as he pushes hard into her. He can feel his own climax building as he pumps rhythmically into her, his fingers rubbing her core in fast tight circles.

"God….Fuck….Don't Stop…Don't Stop" Her voice is breathy as her second orgasm rips through her, a small scream leaving her as her jaw drops open as the wave of pleasure rolls through her again. He continues his thrusts, once, twice and on the third pump feeling her walls clench hard against his pulsing cock he explodes into, his hot seed filling her. They stay joined for a few moments, both regulating their breath before Robin pulls out, kissing her shoulders one last time.

Regina turns around shaky, a sleepy smile gracing her beautiful face "You should shower with me more often"

He laughs and kisses her, before he proceeds to wash her hair as she leans into him, her baby bump pressing into his abdomen as the baby kicks. They laugh lightly and Robin reaches to shut the water off, wrapping Regina and them himself in a fluffy towel before walking her to bed, pulling the heavy duvet over her. He kisses her forehead "I'm just gonna check on the kids, I'll be right back"

Her only response she can muster is a light smile and hum before sleep takes her.

 **2 Months Later (Regina is now 7 Months along)**

Her stomach is huge, heavy against her rib cage as she lays on her back. The stretch marks beginning to pull at her skin. The little boy rolls around, kicking against her stomach as her hands roam soothing the baby.

"Honey, please, calm down, Momma is sooo tired. Can you relax for a few hours for me?"

She tries to roll to her side, reaching for the bottle of lotion on the bed side stand but it is just out of her finger tips and she groans falling back onto the bed… "Fine, keep me awake".

Her eyes close as she hears Robin walk through into the bedroom, padding lightly over to her and sitting down beside her on the edge of the bed, his hands covering hers ontop of the massive bump.

"How's my little outlaw and his beautiful mother doing?"

Regina groans "He's being stubborn"

Robin chuckles presses a light kiss to her belly "Hey little man, you need to let up so your mommy can rest, can you do that for your papa?" The rolling of the baby stops instantly and Regina breathes a sigh of relief "at least we know he will listen to one of us…can you grab me that bottle of creme, my skin is cracking"

Robin leans over, and Regina extends her hands but instead he pumps a bit of white lavender creme into his hands, rubbing smooth circles around her stomach, smiling as Regina's eyes close in a grateful sigh.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fat"

Robin chuckles as his hands continue "My love, you are beautiful"

She exhales hard "You have to say that, I'm carrying your baby, you have to be nice"

Robin wipes off his hands and pushes Regina's now incredible long dark hair away from her face, leaning down for a soft kiss, murmuring against her plump red lips

"I Love You"

She smiles "Again you have to say that"

He moves off the side of her bed, stripping off his clothes till he is in his boxers and slides in beside her "Come here", his arms pulling her back to his chest, his hands interlacing with hers over their baby. He kisses her smooth glowing skin, breathing in her caramel apple smell, relishing in the feeling of her body against his.

It had been a tedious few months, Regina was more emotional than he'd ever thought she could be. She'd cry at the smallest things, little blue jumpers that had a bow and arrow stiched across it, the way Henry would always kiss her belly before he left or the endless gifts Snow gets bestowing on her.

His heart had ached in guilt when she came home a few months back from Snow's her eyes filled with tears as she cried and cried into his chest about her guilt over Lacey. He did his best to soothe her anguish, promising that he loved her and this baby just as much as he did Roland, Henry and Lacey. He apologized over and over about the situation to which Regina would berate him for it not being his fault.

Things had gotten better after that night, Regina seemed to have softened, taking over the mother role of his daughter, kissing her red hair, rocking her to sleep, singing her light songs as she bottle fed her. They had bonded hard, Lacey would cry when Regina would put her down, and cling to her tight during the day. It had warmed his heart, and he fell further and further in love with her everyday.

He can hear to breathing drop heavy as she finally falls asleep, her hands still locked into his.

 **1 Month Later (Regina is now 9 months)**

She was in a panic, the baby crib wasn't built, Rolands clothes were still half in the nursery, half in his new room down the hall. They moved him so the baby would be closer to their room, directly across the hall from Laceys pink princess oasis. She hadn't gotten the infant diapers, or baby wipes, there was so much to do and she only had 2 weeks before her due date.

Pacing, her eyes catch the scene outside and she walks over to the window, smiling as she watches Henry push Roland on the new swingset the Merry Men had built, Robin sitting on the grass as Lacey crawling around him in her yellow sun dress, her hair light red hair glowing in the sunshine. The baby kicked and Regina covered her stomach with her hands "Hi baby, you awake….I'm so excited to finally meet you". He kicks again and she beams out at her unborn son. She turns back around, scanning the green nursey, the forest mural beautifully painted on the opposing wall. Her eyes find the crib, still laying on the floor unbuilt and she sighs in exhaustion, moving slowly over to it. It takes a few seconds for her to actually get to sit down, the size of her stomach impeding her ability to move. Grabbing the instruction sheet she starts to seperate the parts into neat piles.

Screws in this pile, wooden slats in that one, the legs set beside her. She stares back down at the instruction book and is interrupted by Robins footsteps entering the room, followed by Laceys happy giggle. Her eyes find them, and she smiles but Robin can see the frustration etched across her face. He pads over to her, Laceys little arms reaching out in silent demand which Regina happily accepts, cradleing the little girl in her arms as she leans back against the wall.

"Well I suppose the little tyke will need a bed, perhaps I should finish this crib seeings how Will and John have yet to do as the promised" He smiles and she returns it in thank you, her eyes never leaving the dozing off baby girl against her chest.

She watches as Robin builds the crib with ease, snapping everything into place with out issue. An hour later he stands triumphantly, an adorable smile beaming at his handy work. His voice proud as he turns to Regina still sitting on the floor "Whats Next?"

She laughs lightly "A baby".

He laughs heartedly along side her, sitting himself beside mother, baby and bump, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in gently to his chest as he kisses her temple "Ahhh yes, the easy part".

She giggles "Well I think between the two of us, and 3 kids we have that part down pretty well"

They sit together in comfort silence for a few more minutes until Regina begins to shift, the weight of her stomach and the sleeping girl in her arms stiffen her muscles. Robin notices and stands up, pulling Lacey into his arms before extending a hand to help the incredibly pregnant Regina up to her feet.

He walks down to Laceys room, gently laying her down before he hears Regina's high gasp and alarming call for him. He turns and runs to the other nursey. Regina stands in shock as water pools around her feet, dripping down her legs, her eyes wide and shocked as she looks up at him.

"Oh My God, my water just broke"

He beams at her as he runs over "Lets do this"

She smiles up at him "I'm just gonna go change quickly, I'd rather not go to the hospital in my pjamas"

He laughs and nods "I'll grab the hospital bag".

They call the Charmings who rush over, promising to watch over Henry, Roland and Lacey. Snow kisses Regina's cheek "Call us when he's here!" her voice singing in excitement as Robin grabs Regina's hand, pulling her towards the car.

He doesn't let go of her hands as they fly down the streets, her hands tensing every few minutes as contractions course through her, her teeth gritting in pain each time and she squeezes his hand hard.

They reach the hospital and Regina is rolled into the labour ward, Robin right behind her. She is surrounded by a few nurses as they move her onto the hospital bed, checking her vitals as Dr Gwen walks in.

"How are we doing Regina?"

A contraction rolls through her body again as she clamps down on Robins hand.

"Seems like the little guy decided to join us a bit early, lets check how dilated you are okay, put your legs up"

Robin stands at Regina's head, kissing the crown of her hair.

"This is going to be quick I think, you are already 8 cm, shouldn't be to much longer, are you taking an epidural?"

Regina's voice is tight as her eyes squeeze shut "No, I don't want one"

"You sure?"

"Yeah I'll be fine"

The Doctor nods and stands, pulling off the blue latex gloves "okay, well I will be back in an hour to check on you, do your best to relax and breath"

Regina nods, but internally groans at the suggestion she relaxes.

Robin sits down beside her, never letting her hand go, his eyes glowing in adoration as his ocean blue find her chocolate brown.

"Do you need anything?"

She shakes her head, "No just stay"

He nods and kisses her knuckles.

30 minutes pass and Regina endures every brutal contraction, silently berating herself for not taking the freezing drug, but she isn't going to let this overwhelm her, she is the Queen and she will do this without help….well except for Robin.

Her eyes close as she breathes out heavy, a tear falls from the corner of her eyes.

"Hey, hey whats the matter?" Robins thumb wiping away the tears.

"I'm so scared" her voice cracking.

He moves from the chair and sits beside her, his thumb rubbing her cheek as the other rests lightly on her stomach "Honey, you're going to do great, I'm here, you can crush my hand for all I care"

She smiles through the falling tears as she finds his eyes, her lower lip trembling as she bites down on it.

"I just want him to be okay"

Robin leans, kisses her softly twice "He's going to be the most beautiful boy, I am so excited Regina"

"Me to" Her eyes clench shut as another contraction rips through her, a low groan escaping her mouth as she clamps down on Robins hand.

"Breath, Regina"

She slumps back down on the bed, a bead of sweat forming along her hairline.

The hospital door swings open as Dr. Gwen walks back in, Robin extricates himself from the bed, moving to stand behind Regina, holding her hand across her chest.

"Lets see where we stand" and Regina lifts her legs into the holsters.

"Looks like we are good to go, Regina you ready?"

Slight panic bubbles through her as she nods, squeezing Robins hand.

A nurse walks in, and Dr. Gwen turns back to Regina "Okay Madam Mayor, the first few are going to be the worst but you just gotta get through them"

"Okay" her breath is rapid, the pressure in her lower abdomen harsh.

Robin kisses the top of her head and whispers a soft I love you into her ear.

"Okay, Push"

10 minutes later Regina falls hard back into the bed, her body coated in sweat as she hyperventilates, the pain finally subsiding.

A high pitched cry echoes through the room

"Congratulations, he's gorgeous!"

Regina's eyes open, and her heart erupts at the sight of her son, so tiny, pink and hollering bloody murder. Robin kisses her temple hard as their son is cleaned up and wrapped in a baby blue blanket, before being placed into Regina's arms. Tears fall from both parents, as they stare down at their little miracle.

"He's beautiful" Her voice is shaking as her finger tips run down the tiny nose and across his cheeks.

A tiny wail erupts from the infant and Regina leans down to kiss his forehead, lightly rocking him back and forth as he settles back down. Robins palm coasts along the light locks of hair, his own eyes filled with tears "God, he is perfect".

Regina looks up at her soulmate, her heart pounding furiously against her chest as her new reality sets in. She has everything she has ever wanted. Everything that had been taken from her has been given back 100 times over. Tears fall lightly as her smile dazzles out at Robin.

"Kiss me"

And he does.


	41. Preferences

Robin is a simple man, has lived all his life as a simple man. Never had to deal with dials, buttons, ringing contraptions, or any of the other devices of this world that baffle him to the enth degree. It's a lick of pride that he has mastered most….well maybe not mastered, but knows enough to at least not break or completely dismantle the entire thing, a feat Regina is also adorable amused by. Yes, Robin has learned the ways of this modern world...can make toast, boil pasta, and even record his new favorite TV show, "Bear Grylls Gone Wild". However there is one piece of machinery that defies him. Utterly refuses to cooperate no matter how many times he's tried.

It has to go in different groups, whites, colors, jeans, towels, sheets….the list goes on and on and on. Cold water for this, hot water for that. Add white stuff called bleach that smells horrid, some flowery baby smelling solution that keeps their sheets soft to the touch. Far too many instructions to really remember. It was always easier in the Enchanted Forest. Take your dirties to the closest stream, use a couple rocks to rub out the stains and hang them on a tree to dry. Easy. 3 simple steps.

But he'll be damned if this blasted white apparatus get's the best of him. Man against Machine. Again.

It's just a batch of regular colored shirts. Cold water. Add the blue cleaner liquid, turn to normal cycle and close the door. He can do this. Last time, everything had come out a baby blue...thanks to him not sorting thoroughly enough and leaving a damn blue sock behind in the load of whites. Henry had buckled over laughing as he pulled out article after article of the awful hue, in near tears when Regina had come around the corner and dropped her bag with a thud on the floor and a gaping expression as Robin held up one of her favorite blouses...now….well...blue. She'd chuckled half annoyed, but kissed Robin's cheek anyway, saying it didn't matter, she has more, but dammit no. He can do the laundry. He's a man. A grown ass man, and he will wash, dry and fold to perfection today.

Regina had thrown in a quick load before she ran off to work in the morning which now sits all dry and ready for his utmost attention. But first. The wash. He can do this. One by one, he shakes out the shirts, pat's down any pocket around and turns them inside out...as per Regina's step by step instructions. No socks to ruin this one. Half a cup of the orange jug, and some of those strange purple smelly beads, that apparently insist on making everything smell like lavender fields. Okay. Normal Cycle. Got it. It's on cold water, and with a poignant finger he presses the green start button. Ha! He's done it. Easy.

Right now the dry clothes.

Absent minded he grabs a basket, loading in the clothes and jogging into the living room with a bouncing whistle. Basket on the floor beside the couch, beer cracked on the table (with a coaster underneath obviously, god forbid there is a water ring stain), his go to guilty pleasure show rumbles in the background and Robin sets to work.

A few silky blouses, no problem, they get hung up so no need to fold along seams and press buttons side to side. A couple rather enticing bra's are next, soft, lacy, silky under his thumbs, the thought of Regina's absolutely perfect breasts being held up by the wonderful contraptions (he learned a month or so ago how to undo these baby's with one hand….not that Regina was to impressed after being unhooked in the middle of Granny's diner...but hey, he can do it without being noticed and that is what matters. He likes her in lace especially, the ones where there isn't much "pushup" to them, just nice simple threaded cups that hold one of his favorite delicacies. It's slipped once or twice she likes these ones best as well, how the stunning applique teases her nipples all day, making her rather needy and begging by the time she gets home for his attention.

Yes. Lace is a good choice. But then there is silk. Oh silk. Smooth and luxurious, usually pumping his wife's breasts up delightfully for his eyes to gander upon. There's a particular dark ruby red one trimmed with black lace that he holds right now, adjusting the twisted straps. He likes this one...definitely it's a top five. Setting it down beside the others he has placed, he swigs a cold sip of beer, watching Bear Grylls attempt to make a fire, and Robin chuckles...amatuer. His hands absently find something, something thin, and lacy...it's not a bra….far to small for that….can't be a pair of her knickers, there isn't enough material there. Frowning he turns to assess whatever contraption is in his hand.

It's see through...black with a dark blue lacing in the front that ends where a tiny keyhole on the front is. Or what he assumes the front is...the black is a string. A string of black that does attach to this, front piece. Regina usually wears wider strapped bottoms, sexy as ever, cupping her phenomenal ass, but this. This if he is looking at it right would reveal her entire buttocks to him. Nothing but a tiny laced triangle that would sit at her low back, making it's way to this opening where he is certain her entrance and clit would be, into the lace tied up front.

He's salivating, an instant reaction to the thought of Regina wearing these rather unconventional and apparently secretive garment. Adjusting himself slightly, because well he is a man after all, and his wife is Regina Mills, he sets the _panties_ aside, smirking that he is definitely going to ask for a modelling show of these at some point. It's strange though, he's a pretty avid connoisseur of Regina's undergarments. But these are new. Why she hasn't worn them for him is a conundrum, but there is always time for a later explanation. Onto the next.

He should have stopped at the first ones. Because these, or rather this, contraption he now stares bewildered at is nothing short of utterly confusing and yet gob smackingly delectable, if he can figure out which strap is the top and which is the bottom. Either way he likes it...he thinks. Black again, kinda resembles a body suit that parts from the top two lace straps all the way to the bottom revealing her chest completely open, her taut abdomen till attaching into another tiny black piece that would cover her lower half, sort of. But there are two more lace straps, around the lower middle. Standing up to figure this thingamajig, he holds it up, draps the top two straps around his neck, stretching the rest down his torso and Ah! Okay these secondary pieces would tie somewhere around her hips, where another poetic tiny ass baring string attaches into a cute little bow. Well this is definitely new, and Robin most definitely likes this.

The list goes on, every article he grabs from the basket is a treat to the eyes, his lady love must have gone on a bit of a spree without telling him.

With a bundle of new treasures neatly folded and laid out on the table, he scoops it all up, and jogs up the steps, grinning like an idiot with each step. Once inside their bedroom, he sets about opening a few drawers, a few of Regina's drawers, and there they all are. His secret magnificent fortune that is Regina's lingerie.

Thumbing over a few of the articles inside, his mind wanders to each night he's seen them revealed before him. Each just as fruitful as the next. He's a lucky man. He may be a simple man, but he knows how to appreciate quality goods when he see's them, or takes them off of his wife. Either are pleasant options.

Humming as to where to put the new riches, it crosses his mind that maybe, he should just reorder the entire drawer. What's the harm.

Finally walking through the door, she is exhausted, beyond ready for a glass of wine, and hopefully a foot rub from her oddly absent husband. Usually her nights entering the mansion are greeted with a kiss at the door, but her lips are poutingly not being affectioned. That's an issue. Shrugging off her peacoat and losing her heels in the foyer her calls remain unanswered, the den is quiet, the living room unattended save for a beer can on the table, even the kitchen is dark.

"Babe you home?"

It is near 11, so it's entirely possible she'll find him slumber with a book open, resting on his bare chest, the same page still gone unread though Robin insists he has made it passed. His new glasses hanging low on his nose. That was a surprise she never anticipated, being overly and hopelessly attracted to a man with spectacles, but she finds the enhance the blue in his eyes, eyes that she utterly adores, even if he puts up a fight about not truly needing the specks to read. She likes them. Likes him.

Cracking open their bedroom door, it's not a passed out husband she finds, but rather her entire bed covered in her lingerie. Splayed out and organized in what she thinks is first color and then style, Robin standing beside the mattress scratching the stubble on his chin as he looks on thoughtfully at the her delicates.

"What are you doing?"

He'd lost track of time, there had been so much to go through, to touch and recall, memories thundering around with each _outfit_. So when he hears the sound of her voice, for a moment he freezes, not knowing if his "invasion" into her personals is deemed acceptable or not, even if he has seen her in most of them.

"Hey" he finally manages a smile as Regina steps into his chest with an amused smirk, eyeing up his display "how was your day?" mumbled into the crown on her chocolate hair as he hugs her into him. It was fine, boring and unamusing she tells him, but her tone is playful, questioning but light when she pulls back to meet his eyes with an arched brow. "And how was _your_ day?"

He chuckles, nervously licking his lower lip as a hand runs through his hair, "I did the laundry" - "So I see" - "And I may have lost track of time…" - "Mmmm, distracted were we?". Robin watches as she reaches over, swiping a delicate thumb across a particular line of intimates he's set to right side of the bed, her low hum vibrating through his body as he swallows thickly. It's the new set, that black and blue lace tie up thong with a cut out, he'd found the matching bra later...royal sapphire blue, jeweled and damn right salivating.

"These were supposed to be a surprise for your birthday next week" she muses in front of him, torturously leaning over the bed, presenting her skirt clad ass plump and straight into his groin. Touching her on instinct, his fingers wrap around her hip bones, holding her close enough he's certain she can _feel_ him.

"I've decided, you're right. Black is your color"

"Oh have you now?"

"I have. However, I've also decided I need to see you in each one, just to make sure"

Regina laughs and bumps him back enough for her to slide out from in front.

"You want a show do you?"

He does, tells her as much with a dimpled grin, sitting down on the mattress with bright blue mischievous eyes.

She pushes him with a laugh, he goes willingly, falling back amongst the stacks of silk and lace.

Robin is a simple man.

Likes the simple things in life.

A statement true to his bones as he triumphantly falls into the bed, ankles crossed, chest bare, hands laced together on his low abdomen as he watches his wife grab the blue set and ever so antagonizingly slow walk to the bathroom, leaving the door cracked just enough to tease him with a glimpse here and there.

It crosses his mind for a moment, what his favourite _simple_ thing about this world is.

He can't help but grin as the bathroom door opens.

"Do you like it?" She questions closing the distance whilst thumbing the black straps along her hips.

"Stunning"

Regina chuckles a small almost shy thing and there it is. The most perfect beautiful part of his world, simple and just for him. For a second Robin wonders if she thinks he was commenting on the lingerie…


	42. I Remember You

**Set in 3x22, before the Office Scene - Prompted from Lana's comment that Robin helped her put her heart back in "behind closed doors" - Massive Thanks to Brooke for making this not read like a pile of poop. I hope you like it, feel free to drop me a prompt, I'll add it to my list :)**

..

...

..

"You're sure you want to be here for this?"

"You've asked me that already, Regina. My answer hasn't changed."

"I just...It's not always the best feeling…"

"Having your heart back?"

"Dealing with the aftermath."

She's sitting across from him, eyeing her heart suspiciously as it beats in his palm, treacherous, emotional thing it is. It's ugly and dark, swirling with black that eats up the red glow beneath. Not having it has been oddly, well, nice. It sits heavy in her chest most days, a dark angry weight. But in its absence, as terrifying as it may have been to leave it out of her eyesight, she could breathe, fully without anguish, felt a fraction lighter than she'd been used to.

She doesn't want it back in, not really anyway. Three days she's been without it, and the fear of having it in her deranged sisters possession gave way to this new strange glow inside. Granted some of that _glow_ could be attributed to a certain blue eyed man sitting across from her right now. She feels that glow when he is around, warm and gentle. She'd like to keep this feeling, at least for a little while longer before that wretched thing has to be put back in it's rightful place.

It's never pleasant, the few times it has happened. She tried to explain it to Robin earlier, that she can _feel_ , just not fully. Even that doesn't really seem to cover what she knows is coming. The onslaught of emotions that flood without reign, a few long tense minutes that swirl pain, anger, fear, loneliness and heartbreak all into one distasteful concoction she's forced to swallow.

Her heart is dark, and brings nothing but darkness with it.

Regardless of what happened earlier, she's still not totally convinced she has the capability of light magic, especially not with that haggard beaten up muscle back inside. Henry's pleading bright eyes and supportive words be damned, she had been entirely certain nothing would happen, she was dark magic through and through, she can't change who she is on a dime.

And yet it happened, even as nerves and anxiety licked through her veins, the moment Robin had grabbed her heart, she had felt it pulse, jump, and burn with electricity (much like it is doing now as his thumb swipes over the meaty flesh). It had felt different, hot and consuming, blindly overwhelming, and then there it was, light magic.

A one time thing, she's certain, chalking it up to the _soulmate thing,_

"Should we be doing this outside where your home isn't in danger of being burnt to a crisp then?"

How easily he can smile about this, attempt to soothe her turbulent soul, and maybe that's the point of a soulmate. One is black while the other is white, hard and soft, balancing the other out in their flaws. Not that Robin has flaws, well maybe he does, but they are pint sized compared to her ocean of issues.

Warily she flicks her gaze up to his, her heart jumping when she catches his eyes, blue as the sky, rimmed in a dark sapphire, flecks of green and gold embedded in them, and of course he doesn't miss the arrhythmia, blinks down at the organ for a second before returning back to her and smiling, reading into her vulnerability in this moment, exposing the already exposed in his hands.

"It's the same you know."

She frowns, not quite following.

"If you could feel mine right now," he concedes, biting down on his lower lip thoughtfully as he strokes up and down her heart, "it skips a beat and burns like wildfire every time I look at you."

She blushes, bowing down slightly in a new shy smile she's developed only around him. A curtain of chocolate hair falling to hide her eyes, but he is holding her heart, and it is a traitor, giving away her every feeling with a furious thumping. Like a bloody drum set beating away with an orchestra of trumpets and neon signs surely blazing words that she dare not voice right now, even if she may feel them.

Glaring at the muscle, she can do nothing but let out a breathless, unamused chuckle, rolling her eyes in embarrassment that she is so overtly on display for him right now.

He can see it, the slight fear in her eyes even though they avoid him, trepidatious and apprehensive, as though she is waiting for something horrid to happen. A sickening thought occurs to him that she is waiting for _him_ to do something horrid. He wonders how many have held her heart like this, ventures a guess it is not many and that those who have did not treat it with gentility. He will not be such a person. Her past is no secret, yet neither is his if she wishes to know. Both tainted by darkness they wish to forget, he himself has just been granted that forgiveness earlier on.

When the wave of memories of the missing year hit, it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, this strange clouded fog of something just out of reach finally clear cut, and it only had one thing to show. Her. The Queen who has stolen his heart. They had quite an interesting year, thief and monarch. He saw it the moment he caught her eyes in the cannery with Henry, that spark of knowing just how scared they both had been that night the curse came. How she had burst into his room in a cloud of purple all her own, kissing him till his knees weakened before curling up into his bed, holding his son who had claimed a space in her heart all on his own, their hands laced together, knowing that come tomorrow, things would be so very very different.

Yet here they are. Again. Just two people treading through deep waters- together.

"I remembered you," Robin smiles, though Regina's brows knit together in confusion. "During these past few weeks. I remembered you from the missing year."

It's impossible. He couldn't have. That was the point of her half sister's addition to the curse. It's why she has spent the past few weeks as a "friend" of her son's biological mother, has fought off a thousand and one accusations she is the reason for the return to Storybrooke, and even found herself flirting with a handsome outlaw without second thought.

But he looks so certain, staring down into the red glow, dimples creasing in slowly as he affectionately continues to run the pad of his thumb up and down her heart.

"When I saw you at the farmhouse…"

"You mean when you shot an arrow at me."

He chuckles, bumping her thigh with his knee, "Only on accident I assure you." She hums, smirking back an, _I bet,_ that Robin decides to let slide.

"We had been here for a few weeks, and I kept having these fogs, these distant, clouded images, smells, sounds and feelings." He turns to reach out for her hand which she gives willingly, lacing their fingers together. "I just, I saw you that first day and I knew I had seen your eyes before," he catches her gaze, drowning in the whiskey shade, "that I had known you in some capacity."

"I was the Evil Queen...you must have remembered me from then no?"

He shakes his head, scowling a touch, "Not exactly," he shifts slightly to face her more fully, scratching the stubble on his beard that Regina wishes she was touching instead. She loves the feeling of it, scratchy under her nails, or brushing along her neck.

"I don't know how to explain it really. I think my heart remembered you before my mind could." He chews on his lip, exhaling before finding her gaze. "When I looked into your eyes that first time here, I just knew I had fallen in love with them before." It's almost shy, a whispered omission on his part. Robin, who is usually all about coating her with over the top affectionate words, suddenly seems nervous.

"They are just brown, Robin—" She blinks slightly dumbfounded, the last person that had commented on the beauty of her eyes was Daniel, but that was in another lifetime. Mother always wished she had inherited her green eyes, rather than the _dull, boring_ hue of her father's.

"You're wrong," his timbered voice smoothes over her, "They are the color of walnut trees from Sherwood Forest." He smiles, stroking along her cheekbone, "And when you are sad or lost in thought, they gloss over with dark hickory hues. There are these amber gold flecks when you start talking about things you love, the people you love." She wonders for a minute if they are there right now. "You have the most stunning eyes I've ever seen."

She is blushing, knows by the hot red creeping flush moving into her cheeks, and she'd be embarrassed if it was anyone but him. But it is him. Just Robin. And maybe it's okay to let him see.

Squeezing her palm, he continues trying to convince her of his memories; "I would walk around the forest here and feel myself holding your hand, the way your fingers fit and hook perfectly with mine. I like that…," Robin smiles, "how small your hands feel in mine."

Well surely, if her heart (presently pumping away in his hand at a crescendoing pace) hasn't given her away, the way she is uncontrollably beaming at him must. She likes that too, how large his hands are compared to hers, how they encase hers completely, rugged and soft, calloused and smooth.

"On days here when Roland and I would walk to the park and I'd hold his hand, it always felt like something was linked into my other one, yet nothing was there. I could feel it though, feel you; the slenderness of your fingers, your rings, how you'd scratch the back of my palm with your nails." He arches an eyebrow down with a smirk, because she is doing it now, not even realizing it.

Moving to shift closer, he reaches to tuck a curl behind her ear, drinking in the silky texture and thick chocolate color. "I've sat against trees here watching the sunrise, and I swear I could smell the rose caramel of your hair, rich and sweet in the air." He flicks the strand between his fingers. It's much shorter here, less extravagant, and while he would freely admit he loved her longer, tumbling curls, there is something about this cropped framing around her face. "It lingered in my clothing, found it's way into my pillow, every breath I've taken here; it's laced into the air."

"Your voice," he muses softly, "It followed me everywhere. Muffled and irritatingly distant, but the second you spoke to me here, it clicked..

"Must have been strange hearing the Evil Queen in your head."

It's a low blow on her part, to herself, using _that_ name. And while she would love to hear nothing but how much he apparently loved all these things about her, and possibly god favour her fortune he still does, it's easier to make a wall, build up some sort of armour before she falls too far.

A notion she knows is already past due given how hard her heart is stampeding in his hands. He knows it too, that she defends herself with sharp self-inflicting barbs, understands where to push and where to pull back, what will ease the pained scowl on her face and bring back the lightness in her eyes. He simply knows her better than she thinks.

"I suppose, but you have a lovely voice all the same, especially when it calls out my name. Nothing is quite as magnificent sounding as that."

"Your name?"

"You saying my name?"

 _Oh. There goes her heart again, banging around without a care in the world._

Robin chuckles at the change in rhythmic beating, smirking at her with that damn hint of smugness behind his dimples.

"Shut up" she huffs, adding a low, husky, "Robin," just for good measure.

And he doesn't disappoint, closing his eyes with an exhale that seems to start at the tip of his toes, a whispered "Beautiful" dropping out behind his grin.

She smiles and shushes him with a roll of her eyes, and Robin glows because she is smiling, and he remembers her smile, tells her as much when his hand reaches to cup her cheek and turn her towards him. That one smile he had dreamt about for weeks, every time he'd close his eyes, and he'd wondered desperately who was the owner of such a magnificent thing. The moment she had smiled at him in the farmhouse, and in Granny's hallway between stolen kisses, and he just knew, muddled and confused as his mind may have been, that there is no one else who can stop his heart with a smile except for her. "It's one of my most cherished things"

"What else did you remember?" She curls into him, resting an elbow on the back of the couch, carding her fingers through her hair as she waits for him. She's waited for him forever it seems.

Robin muses silently for a moment, honing in on her red lips, parted slightly, wet from her tongue that had just passed by. "These,"

"My lips?"

"Mhmm." He runs his thumb along her lower lip, "How they feel pressed against mine, so full, soft and—" She beats him to the last word with said lips claiming his own, a flare pulsing through her at his low groan. They have kissed before, before regaining their memories, knowing now with them returned, they have kissed too many times to keep count of, and yet, it never faults, never fails, that it feels giddy,bubbles up in her stomach, burning from the inside out.

"—perfect." Robin's cut off word murmurs out as he smiles into her mouth, pulling her gently back in for a second, third, and fourth, his own heart hammering, matching the rapid pulsing pace of hers in his palm. "Even this beauty mark," he moves to kiss the scar on her lip, softly dots an affection to the marking as Regina smiles, "I could feel the indent of it when you kissed me."

She's always had a battle against this particular scar, how it is glaringly obvious on her face, that no amount of lipstick could hid the marking her mother gave her, a reminder of a punishment for not doing as she'd asked. "And I remember being entranced by it, the loveliness of it," he confesses, thumbing the small crevasse adoringly.

"What else?"

Her fingers card through his hair, her hips moving over to straddle his body against the couch, blocking him into the cushions as he grins, bouncing a playful eyebrow up at her with a squeeze on her thighs. "Definitely this." He rubs up and down her legs, breathing a hitch heavier.

"What about this?" She husks, scratching at his jawline with one hand, combing through his hair with the other. She does remember _this._ How he touched her, stroked along her body and kissed every inch; how he felt, thick and hard, stretching her in places till stars popped behind her eyes. But mostly she remembers how he whispered into her skin how much he adored her, cherished her, and eventually loved her.

"Yes," he swallows before focusing on the memories, "the softness of your skin." Robin grazes his fingertips along her hips, up her back, tugging the silk blouse up enough to have the skin on her stomach peek out. "You feel like cotton and cream…" he leans in to kiss a row along her collarbone, "...and taste like honey."

She chuckles at that, humming against the feeling of his tongue licking at her pulse point between kisses. "Mmmm... definitely your laugh, a melody that played in my ears during the silence of my nights."

"However," his palms ghost up her back, shuffling her a touch closer so he can kiss her sweetly "do you know what I remember most?" She shakes her head, keeping her eyes locked onto his.

"This."

He holds her heart up between them, resting it above where his own lays, and unbeknownst to Regina, it matches the oscillating beating of her heart.

"You, my love, have the most beautiful, resilient heart." He smiles, looking down at the proof in his hand. "And I think, it's time to return it to its equally stunning owner."

A pause passes between them as Regina stills her breath, knowing what is about to happen, what is about to occur and the pain that follows this moment. She is scared, always is. But he is here, and regardless of her fear, he feels strong, is strong. Maybe this could be one of those times she could be _less_ strong, have him be her rock. He's done it before, in their missing year. More times that she would care to admit she needed him like this.

Curling her fingers around both his and her heart, she nods, "Wait till it glows white around the edge, that's where the right spot is, and then you just push." Releasing his hand, she anchors herself on his shoulders, bowing down enough to lean her forehead against his.

"Hey, look at me."

Her anxiety is rolling off her in waves, body so utterly tense in his lap, and that is just not okay with him.

"Regina."

When she finds a shred of bravery she looks him right in the eyes, drowns in the security they hold and hunkers down a touch lower so they are stomach to stomach, her arm curling around his shoulders and carding through his hair. He leans in, catches her lips softly, and then pushes when he see's her eyes close once more.

It's….different. The pain flickers for a moment, anguish for a fractional second, but there is none of the fear, not a trace of that usual decrepitating loneliness.

"You alright?"

She nods, smiles behind hidden tears, because for the first time, she actually feels it. That everything is alright, everything is okay.

Fin.


	43. Scissors

It's jagged, rough and spliced; sheared in the wrong spots, sharp ugly edges and hacked framing.

What does she care though? It needed to be done, the memory of his fingers running through are too...there's too much pain still. There will always be too much pain. A low tortured burning in a place she can't reach, can't tear out, and it consumes her entirely. Aching and agonizing; a wound that can't clot, ensuring she will bleed out eventually.

When that will happen, she doesn't know. There is nothing visible on her body to suggest it's battered torn apart state, sore, tender and unforgivingly resentful.

She hides it all away from the prying eyes that wonder about her state of mind. Every morning, they watch, wait to see with tightness in their chests and fear in their eyes, who is going to walk out of the mansion that day.

The Mayor? Regina? The Evil Queen?

Someone entirely different?

She wonders too. What the mornings will bring, not that she sleeps anyway, there are demons that creep into her head at night, and she has no strength to withstand their onslaught.

It was a poorly timed comment, that lead her to this place, sitting on the bathroom floor, wincing at the small pricks of blood on her fingers where she became sloppy and misjudged angles. They trickle down the pads, curl around knuckles and stain her skin in dark red ruby patterns. If she squeezes just enough, the healing skin breaks apart again, letting another stream escape. Could she squeeze it all out? Her blood? Slow and deliberately. Would anyone come looking for her? Care too?

He would have.

But he is not here. Not anymore.

Her shoulders crumble, a break in the impenetrable wall, her hands catching the weight of her head, threading through her hair. It hurts to breath. Stabbing between ribs, crushing her from the inside out. There are no more tears to cry, they've all been left in his pillow. But there is pain. Pain that sends bile into her throat, numbs her legs and freezes her skin even though she sweats.

It's a disease. To feel _this_ way. Riddled with an incurable malady. It will take over, destroy everything with ease, intentionally, deliberately, and unhurried.

It falls irritatingly into her eyes, though she tries to tuck it behind her ears, it doesn't obey, simply slips out and hangs blatantly for her to glare at. She's going to rip it off, rip it all out, beauty be damned.

Standing on wobbly knees, the scissors rest on the countertop still, covered in long chocolate curls that she brushes away angrily. Something cracks behind her as she slams her fists into the granite top with a wretched scream, a mirror it sounds like, crashing to the ground thanks to her sporadic outbursts of uncontrolled magic. Everything is falling out of control.

But _this,_ this she can control. She can have some semblance of jurisdiction, of authority. Meaningless as it may be. Redundant in the grand scheme. But it's something to cling too.

It's all coming off, and she'll start with this aggravating strip right in front, the metal of the scissors hissing as they are wrenched apart.

"Regina?"

"Leave me alone Snow"

Her palm burns into Regina's back, an iron rod branding her vulnerability. It makes her feel weak. But she is not weak. She is in pain and just wants it to go away. Everything and everyone just needs to go away. She waits for the badgering words about hope, and family and love.

They don't come much to her bitter surprise.

Between the trembling of her hands, and the fractured breathing that helplessly rattles in and out, the scissors are gone, laid down in the far corner of the vanity and replaced by a soft grip. She doesn't need consoling or Snow's pity, she just wants this agony leave.

"Tell me"

It takes a dozen silent tense minutes before she can figure out how to answer, how to explain why _this_ , is causing her the most tormented misery.

"He liked it long"

..

It's feeble, and not even close in full description. He liked how it curled around her shoulders in the morning and the braided, laced elaborate styles he could undo behind closed doors. She remembers the soft musing affections he made into the waves when he thought she was asleep. The feeling of his nose burying behind her ear, the smooth sigh when he would breathe her in. His telltale sign before he would kiss her, the way his fingers played with the ends of a curl the moments before, and then he'd thread through it, holding her tight to his lips.

It's all there, locked away in her mind.

..

"I think, he just loved you"

..


	44. Rituals

**Rituals**

 **I know it's short - but something needed to be posted as Season 6 starts. Happy Outlaw Queen Day!**

He's watching her, like he usually does, leaning casually against the bathroom vanity as she "preps" herself for bed, a ritual he has come to utterly adore.

It It starts with her hair, long and luxurious as she untangles the curls, pulling it back into a low messy braid. If Robin had it his way, her hair would be free to flow wild, draping around her shoulders, loose so he can run his fingers through the chocolate silk. He loves her hair. Is absolutely thrilled that she is agreed to grow it out, not that he didn't appreciate the shorter look. But there is nothing in this world that compares to the feeling of the longer length brushing against his chest when she lays over him, or the captivating way it spills from the crown of her head, a tumbling waterfall he can do nothing but be bewitched by.

It's tied back now, exposing the length of her neck, the beauty of her skin, honey hued and dotted with freckles he's counted time and time again. Twenty-six of them adorn her body to be exact. His favorite three make a perfect small triangle underneath her left breast. A private constellation only for his eyes to see. However a bet for top spot could be challenged by the one at her corner of her lower lip, it's the first spot he kisses in the morning, and the last one at night. Or maybe the four that curve along her shoulder blade, he definitely likes those ones. He just likes her.

The buzz of her toothbrush trails his eyes lower, down to her delicious mouth. He prefers nothing more than to be attached to it at any given point of the day, every minute of the day if she'd let him. On cue in his timed countdown, she sits on the edge of the tub, scrubbing away mindlessly as he does the same. His mind wanders to memories of her smile, a perfect row of white teeth beaming out behind ruby stained lips. Never once has that smile failed in making his heart stutter. Even as the years have gone on, and he's seen it a thousand and one blissful times, for a fraction of a second he melts for it, always.

He finishes first, splashes some cool water on his face, and pretends to find something else to occupy his time with as she follows him to the sink. It's some sort of balm that goes next, a creamy pink substance that squeezes from her blue bottle and gets patted just below her eyes and around her forehead. He'd asked her once what it was for, she made some ridiculous comment about keeping wrinkles far away. That is something he will never understand. Her skin is flawless to him, supple and smooth under his touch. So what if there are a few lines around her eyes that she pulls back with a frown, or a crease here and there. It's their life quietly painted into her face. The ones that came when Roland fractured his arm, or the first idiot boy that broke their daughter's heart, to the laugh lines from moments forever engraved into his memory. It's their story, each and every one.

He listens to her hum, as she usually does by this point, whilst smearing more product into her skin, ones that "brighten" or "tighten", others that enrich with vitamins and things Robin still can't pronounce. She doesn't need any of it. The beauty of his wife is not something ointments and concoctions create. It's simply her. The defined shape of almond eyes, straight bridged nose, sculpted cheekbones and jawline, pouty perfect lips. It's just her. Stunning, glorious her.

His favorite part of her routine is starting, and he does his best to silently watch her through the mirror, rustling his own hair in allusion that he isn't just standing here in their bathroom watching her preen. The dark blue silk robe untie, drapes down to her shoulders, laying bare the pure loveliness of her chest, not quite pulled apart enough for her breasts to be fully on display, but the curve of each swell deliciously there. It smells of rich velvets, and fresh rain. Something alluding to spiced vanilla, yet subtle lavender. If there is one thing he could wish to always have (besides her), it would be this smell, soaked into his skin, melted within his brain. The cream glides around her skin, slowly vanishing along the length of her neck, on her collarbones, between her breast and over the swells. Its mesmerizing, the patterns she draws, curling into her shoulders, to the back of her jaw, down and around on her back.

"You know, you could help me rather than just stare".

Her eyes meet his in the mirror, playfully accusing his dumbfounded look, caught red handed, drooling over her. It's not his fault she's his weakness, can render him speechless with a mere arch in her brow. He flushes, biting down on his lower lip with a shy smile, "Was I that obvious?".

"You've watched me do this nearly every night, for two years now"

Well that is true, and he fails to see the problem as her bottle of cream is pressed into his palm. She turns, dropping her robe, sinfully letting his gaze rake and burn into her naked skin as she sits on the edge of the vanity, hoisting her hips up enough to settle her bare backside on the cool granite. He wonders if it will ever fade. The hot coil that pulses low in his body at the sight of hers. If anything it flourishes and burn more. She lifts, and he catches her ankle, letting her foot rest square in the middle of his chest, dainty dark red painted toes tapping lightly against him.

He loves her ritual, loves the way she hums and haws over every invisible flaw she finds, that he kisses away. Will forever be a spectator if she allows. But this, this is amazing, getting to massage the muscles in her thighs, curl his thumbs into the arch of her feet, dance teasingly light around the crease of her hips, and if by the grace of god, she will let him continue to serve her, well he may have just found his new favorite part of her nightly routine….of course until they get to bed, nothing will ever rival that.


	45. Perspective

**Perspective**

It's gloomy, dark seedy gray skies, blustering winds, heavy cold down pouring rain, an absolutely atrocious, god awful, let's put it off for another new years kind of day. What's the real need anyway? He knows why. Doesn't like it one bit, but had begrudgingly agreed. Maybe if it hurricanes today won't have to happen.

"Papa! Come On!"

He grunts at the terribleness that is today, balks at the quiet voice that laughs at him from within, but grabs his sweater and walks down the steps to where nothing but agony and longing await. Did he mention it's an awful day?

.

..

…

..

.

It couldn't possibly be nicer outside. Brilliant shining warm sun, bright cloudless blue skies, tree's flush in greens, flowers in full bloom. They don't get many perfect days like this in Storybrooke, being enclosed in forest and mountains usually brings more rainy, dewy days, but not today. Today is spectacular and Regina is utterly grateful for it. It will make things easier, though she is fairly certain whom it is she needs to worry about is going to be the complete opposite of normal. At least the sun is shining.

"Gina! I'm done!"

She turns, grinning at the happy bouncing babble at her kitchen island, little legs swinging above the footrest, blue spiderman shirt graciously untouched by syrup, a milk moustache lining the best toothy smile in the whole world.

"Okay, handsome," she wipes his chubby face with a cloth, clearing away the small chocolate chip stains from the pancakes earlier, "Go get your dad."

Roland bounds off the stool, socked feet skidding on the wooden floor as he rounds the corner, hollerin' up the stairs.

"Papa! Come On!"

It's going to be the best day.

.

..

…

..

.

It's loud. There are too many people, there is too much chaos and not enough time to spend with his boy before this jail house takes him away. Regina is here, which is good he supposes. The warmth of her hand giving him something to cling to as Roland's let's go.

It's too soon for this.

He's not ready; Robin...Robin isn't ready. It seems like Roland is completely the opposite.

Someone bumps him for the thousandth time, and he is about ready to run after his boy, scoop him up and haul ass into the forest. It's just five hours is a long time to be separated from his little lad. There is so much that could go wrong in five hours. It's not safe. Who is going to protect his boy if Robin isn't there? This is a bad idea. They should just go. Maybe next year (or in ten.)

"Papa! Papa! Come here!"

His scowl resides under the false smile he quickly throws on, as he threads through the claustrophobic amount of frowning, angry people, stark white walls that seem to slowly enclose, someone is screaming in the background, the sound of harsh clanging metal bangs behind him, the slamming of doors echo all around. This is no place for a child. It's a hell hole.

.

..

…

..

.

She loves this day. How everything just seems to burst into life the minute they turn the corner. All it is, is happiness. Eruptions of bubbly laughter, ecstatic squeals from the playground, smiles upon smiles...it's contagious in fact. She hasn't stopped grinning since this morning, when a little body came crashing into their bed far too early, bursting with excitement before scrambling back out the door and down the steps ready for the adventure ahead.

It seems like years since she brought Henry here for the first time, letting her little prince go into none other than the care of people she once detested, and whether the Mayor suddenly was walking down the hallways more often than ever, well no one ever commented on it.

"Papa! Papa! Come here!"

God she loves how happy he is. At least one of the Locksley boys has found something to smile about today. She is gently tugged by Robin's hand, walking easy through the brightly painted hallways, a few calls from teachers beckoning kids into their classrooms, a locker clicking shut here and there, up to where Roland is vibrating where he stands, pointing up at something she can't quite see yet, but the way he beams, well it has her own smile stretching.

.

..

…

..

.

"Look!"

 _At what? A torture device in the corner? Chains and Gullets strung about?_

Robin eyes the space around him angrily, but keeps the display locked invisibly down as he kneels to his son's level, waiting for his brown button eyed little mate to beg him to take him away from this place. It doesn't happen. Instead of crying pleas, all Robin gets it a toothy giggle and a small finger pointing up to a bright green piece of paper, yellow scroll etching his son's name. _Why is that necessary? So they know where each child is to kidnap quicker?_ Robin nods, glaring at the piece of paper and tiny silver hook that holds a red and black striped bag, loaded with things he never needed as a boy growing up in the Enchanted Forest. _Pencils, Paper, Crayons…._ all completely unnecessary and totally barbaric.

.

..

…

..

.

She see's it the second he stands up again, rigid like stone, righting his shirt with a quiet huff, his arms crossing over his chest as Roland digs around in his new bag for his pencil case. Her heart nearly melts at the sight of absolute indignation and petulance that exudes from her thief, all scowled crested features, tight tense jaw, a small bead of sweat dancing along his brow line. Should anyone else look, it would be completely plausible to conclude that Robin was about to blow off like a volcano...he looked like it...but it's his eyes that give him away. Watery, sky blue swarmed in desperation, frantic defeat, and overwhelming longing.

It takes everything she has not to poke at him, give a tiny shot under the belt at the way he is acting, as though he is sending his boy off to war or something. It's just kindergarten. Roland will be coloring pictures for their fridge, not crawling through bomb riddled trenches. God she loves this man. The unphasable Robin Hood, complete shook by his son's first day of school. Even his hand is flushed with sweat as she squeezes it gently, toying with the gold band on his finger, which normally will get her a cheeky dimpled grin, but nope, not today apparently. His eyes are dead set on Roland who has managed to gather up his few necessities. Everything is green, it had to be as per the young boys' demand. Green like the trees. And thank the high gods above she can just poof a green binder, green pencils, a green pencil case, just green everything, with a wave of her hand. Because, " _Papa likes green just like me!"_ The reasoning of a five year old is nothing to be reckoned with.

"Roland Locksley?"

Robin tenses, Regina's smile fades, because suddenly there are big welled up tears in little brown eyes.

.

..

…

..

.

See! He knew it! This horror house is already terrorizing his boy. Like Hell Robin is just going to walk away from him now. Roland would be traumatized. Being slammed into a cell behind him, locked and key thrown away. Who knows what they do with these kids for five bloody hours. He can teach him everything his son needs to now in the safety and comfort of their own home, preferably with one of Regina's magical spell things that keeps people out.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

Her singsong voice glows out, and it oddly soothes Robin too...marginally, but his heart beats a fraction more at ease as she settles down on her knees, wiping away the fat droplets curling on Roland's cheeks. His boy sniffles, long and hard, and Robin is going to break if this keeps up.

A clearing of Regina's throat halts his planning to escape, and wide eyes flick between himself and Roland as she tugs him down, _hard_. His knees hissing at the impact on frozen cold stone floors. He focuses on the untied shoelace of tiny sneakers, another death trap in this world, opting to reach out and string them together as slowly as he can, hoping that if enough minutes tick away they will be allowed to leave, all of them, together.

"Papa?"

This is it! Finally! Roland will ask to go home. Good. It's about time. Surely they are inhaling disease and infection every second spent lingering inside these stone walls. The air is more than likely laced with cholera, or the black plague, or smallpox even. He goes to scoop his boy up and promise he will never ever leave him ever again so long as they both shall live, when the feeling of Regina's hand lightly gripping his forearm fractures through his thunderous thoughts.

"You're gonna be here to pick me up right?"

 _Wait...What?_

"After lunch, right, Papa?"

 _No! Well, yes of course he is...but…_

"Of course we are, Roland. I have a feeling your papa is going to be the first one back to come get you." Regina smiles, chuckling a bit as she bumps against Robin's shoulder, hoping to ease out the devastation on his face. _At least wait to freak out once we leave, not in front of our son._ She gripes internally, but then again, Madam Mayor did attend more kindergarten classes, and grade 1...and 2...than any other parent.

"Okay."

 _Whoa! Not Okay! I am not okay with this!_

Robin is about to vehemently, for the hundredth time he is certain, beg Regina to put this whole plan off, this grand scheme of separating father and son, when he is nearly knocked over by a fierce small hug.

 _Run! You're holding onto him! Regina's magic can't be that quick, you could be outta here and into the Merry Men's camp before she can do anything!_

A wet, squished kiss hits his cheek, "Bye, Papa! Miss you!" And suddenly, his arms are vacant, grasping onto nothing but air, leaving him sitting on his arse on the rough, rocky floors, gaping in shock as he watches Regina bend down to quickly kiss Roland on the forehead and off his son runs, _bloody traitor,_ and then it's just silence as the vault ironclad door slams shut.

.

..

…

..

.

She waits, biting back a smile as he just sits there dumbfounded that their son actually wanted to go to school, like all normal children do, play with their friends, paint messy pictures, and do all the things that kids in kindergarten are supposed to. Apparently a concept Robin isn't taking very well.

"Whiskey?" She taps his boot with her heel.

"Huh?"

Chuckling, she extends out her hand, to which Robin latches onto like his only lifeline, and helps him to his feet, though his eyes are glued to the wooden door. She's rather certain he is figuring out if he can break it down. "How about a drink, Papa?" Her lips find his cheek and he unconsciously follows when she pulls back.

"Uh..." He stammers, turning back and forth between Regina's smile and the demonic barrier of a door.

"Come on, it will help."

He walks, shuffles really, ready to spin on a dime should he hear his boy's voice asking for him...but it's just quiet, horribly, horribly quiet. His eyes glance at the clock on the wall as Regina pushes the front doors open, 9:08 … he still has another 4 hours and fifty two minutes to go.

This is going to be the longest day of his life.


	46. Remembering The Vault

**HAPPY VAULT-AVERSARY !**

She remembers everything from that night. The desperation, anxiety mixed with passion, her heart thundering as he spoke of being righteous and true, having honour and a code to live by. His eyes confused, hazed over by what she now knows was a few too many whiskeys, and yet they were clear as day, bright blue depths of honesty as he stepped forward slightly, gauging her reaction.

She remembers her own puzzlement. If he was spewing about being a good man, why was he even here, with her, after she told him time and time again to forget, to move on, to love his wife. It didn't make sense, but somewhere deep, buried behind the stoic mask, a bubble glowed, hot and sparking. Just him being here, carrying on about not knowing what to do, had her heart jumping. He's torn, which means she still had a hold on him, a piece of him.

She remembers asking why he was here, not really hearing what he mumbled out before his lips were colliding on hers, messily pressing and pulling, asking for everything, giving everything. She knows he felt her hesitation, brought on by momentary shock, but his fingers held strong in her hair, holding her to him, waiting to either be pushed away or melted into. It was dangerous, but since when was she afraid? She is always afraid. For more than good reason now. Her heart won, pushing her mind into the darkness as her hands curled around him, letting him haul her onto unsteady feet, swaying and spinning them slightly, pulling back for a much needed breath, though only lasting a moment.

She remembers it all. How his hands scoured her body, needy and gentle, tugging down the zipper, letting the red cloth slide off her curves, the hitch in his breath at the newly revealed skin and lace, red lace, dark wine colored silk that he could do nothing but gape open mouthed at, heat flushing her cheeks at his breathless sentiment at her beauty.

She remembers feeling his lips trail across her collarbone, the wet trail left between her breasts as he sank to his knees, hands unabashedly squeezing her behind, the groan and scratch of his stubble on her stomach, making her shiver tip to toe. She felt wanted. For the first time in a very, very long time, she was being chosen.

She remembers the tears that momentarily lined her eyes, brushed quickly away as desire took over, his fingers tugging down the lace between her thighs. How she stayed standing when the heat of his mouth painted her, she doesn't actually know, but she remembers the shake of her knees, clawing her fingers through his hair, calling out his name as she fell from the peak, the soft tingle of his lips on her ribs as he moved back up, the taste of herself on his tongue, his arousal pressing between her thighs she opened without question.

She remembers the look in his eyes as he slid inside, the bright blue overtaken by lust, the fraction of a second he waited, simply watching her from above, his fingers brushing back the fallen sweaty locks behind her ear, the sweet simple kiss before he rolled into her, pushing them towards that bliss once more.

She remembers his voice, thick, gritted and never ending in his words, how she felt, how he wanted her so terribly, how he'd never leave, the smell of her, the softness, the perfection in her curves, his overt affection for the way her own voice hitched and gasped out his name. He wanted to give her everything, have her take whatever she needed, he would do it, whatever she wanted, he promised himself to her, only to her.

She remembers lying there afterwards, her still on her back, Robin on his stomach, legs locked together on the fur blanket, his face nuzzled into the crook of her neck, hand on her chest where her heart was finally slowing back to normal, his lips dotting a line across her skin. It was quiet, serenely so. For a wonderful moment it was just them and the sound of their breathing as she combed through his sweaty hair, scratching lightly at the nape of his neck, smoothing over his shoulder.

She remembers everything of that night.

It's a curse and a blessing all wrapped into one. The memory of being loved, feeling loved, loving back fully.

She's seen him here, walking hand in hand with Regina, has watched their happy affectionate kisses when they think no one else is looking, but she is always there, in mirrors, in the darkness of corners, taking in their happiness, a happiness she was one a part of, had felt, had known, silently to herself wishes for again.

To be sucked back into one person, Mayor and Queen sharing the same body once more, even just for a day, so she could remember how his lips feel on her own, hear him say he loves her. She said it once, the worst curse was being alone, and the Queen has never believed in that statement more than she does right now. Wishing for something, or rather someone, she will never have again.

All she has are her memories.


	47. Thanksgiving

It echoes.

Everything.

The clicking of her heels on cold hardwood floors, a buzzing in her ears from the deafening silence of no one being around, the beating of her heart against an empty soul, whispers of voices from people who aren't there bouncing off the walls. She's alone, with nothing but her thoughts. Her bitter, biting, angry thoughts.

She doesn't sleep, there is no warmth in her bed anymore. Doesn't eat, food tastes like ash in her mouth. Speaks to near no one, for conversation just seems unimportant now. It matters not who comes knocking quietly on the door, they are all silently turned away, except for Henry, but even his presence in her empty home is becoming more and more sporadic. It's her fault. She's knows it. Is pushing everyone away, again. Refuses a shoulder to cry on, a sign of weakness. Shakes off an ear ready to listen, her pain is her own to carry.

Life says she is to be alone, so alone she shall be. With an unbreakable mask hiding the fractured self that hides behind it. A last semblance of defense for a woman who can't find the will to fight anymore.

His jacket still hangs in the front hallway, a matching little one on the left hook. A quiver with six arrows leaning between them. A debilitating reminder she can't bear to remove, it would feel like erasing him, and she won't do that, would rather stare angrily at the articles instead of never seeing them again.

The sticker on her calendar catches her eye as she walks into the dark kitchen, a cartoon googly-eyed turkey in a pilgrim hat, colorful tail cut off by the red marked circle around the date. Another holiday she will sit completely alone, spent with a bottle of merlot as her only companion. It dulls the pain. Makes her memories a bit fuzzy. Their faces less intrusive. Laughs more muffled. She can simply drown herself away.

A yellow glow of the fire flickers about the cool den as she settles down, bottle in tow, a glass unnecessary, just something else that will she will have to clean, something that takes too much time to do before she can taste the thick bitterness hit her tongue. Refined Queen be damned, as she tips the bottle back, swallowing hard. It pools in her stomach, a cloying molasses that soothes from tip to toe.

This will help.

She can fill herself with liquor instead of turkey and mashed potatoes like everyone else surely is tonight.

She can't find much to be thankful for this year. Dismissed the invitations, avoided the hope speeches. There is no point. It's fine. She is fine. Time ticks by as she watches the first drops of snow fall from the sky. Puffy white flakes coating the ground.

They were supposed to have this. Build snowmen together, drink far too much hot chocolate, decorate the mansion in sparkling lights and coat it in the smell of pine from a massive tree. She was supposed to be in the kitchen, bumping her shoulder against his in front of the stove, scolding him playfully as a second apple turnover went missing, brushing the crumbs from a stubbled beard. He was supposed to be holding their hands as they walked down the street to the fair to meet Santa this year. His first time ever. They were supposed to eat till buttons burst, watch ridiculously cheesy holiday movies, and fall asleep all tucked in together on the couch.

But they aren't.

It won't happen.

She doesn't get to have that.

Swigging back another gulp, her sigh is heavy, toes curling under the wool blanket, but she's still cold. Henry is with Emma, and her parents, the pirate, Granny and Ruby, more than likely the dwarves have bargained a plate. Even Marco and August, newly reintroduced back to the town, are dining in the feast of thanks with everyone. They asked, she said no. She doesn't want to be surrounded by sad eyes and quiet whispers.

This is good. Just her and her wine.

Her nails clink against the glass, another echo in the quietness of her home, tinking in beats of four she counts incessantly, giving her something to focus on as her mind buzzes gently. Maybe she will just sleep, tomorrow is another day. She wipes the small trailing red line of wine that coasts down the green bottle, a stain on her white couch is something she'd rather avoid.

A knock at the door booms through the room, an unwelcome noise she frowns at. Alone. She wanted to be alone. Can't they respect that? After everything she did and lost for them, can they not grant her this one damn wish. Grumbling, she pushes to her feet, slightly wobbly in her wine induced state, and she stalks to the door, building her mask up quickly as her hand curls around the cold gold door knob.

Stunned. She's stunned.

They are all here. Smiling up at her, without even really a hello as they flood inside, hauling in plates of saran wrapped food, Ruby sliding by with a box of wine and a wink, all seven munchkins squeeze around her, nodding their heads in greeting, hands full of, well everything, potatoes, turnips, carrots, vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. She doesn't do anything but stare at them, mouth agape, eyes wide as her house is suddenly full of chatter, doesn't register the quick peck Granny smacks against her cheek as she too invades inside, with Marco and August, and even . The Pirate walks in next, hand in hand with Emma, who presses a bottle of rum into her hands with a cheeky grin and she watches them go, still unable to process what the hell is going on.

"Where should we put this?"

She turns, finding David mildly struggling with the biggest turkey she's seen in her life. Her hand automatically motions to the kitchen, though she isn't really sure why, but he steps around her, thanking her quickly. And then it's just Snow and Henry, still waiting on the doorstep.

Snow steps first, grabbing Regina's hand, who unbeknownst to her is trembling slightly, and tugs her into a hug "Happy Thanksgiving Regina." Her soft voice whispers into her ear as she squeezes tight for a second before following David and the rukous that's now overflowed into the living room and den.

All she can do is nod. Shocked. Snow smiles, pats her arm gently and leaves.

She feels Henry's arms wrap around her waist, his nose nuzzling into her temple neck as his lips peck her cheek sweetly. "You okay?"

Is she? Her plans of guzzling back enough wine to put her into a coma for the night and hopefully the next day has been commandeered. It oddly has her heart flickering in a way she hasn't felt in a long time, never thought she'd feel again. Her body is being pulled, gently towards the commotion, and she follows, walking straight into the laughter her walls have missed, the smell of food her kitchen has lacked, the voices coating around her like a warm hug she didn't know she needed.

She hits a chair, squeezed between Henry and David, who is piling food onto her plate, a glass of wine already poured.

"Hey Regina!" Grumpy hollers from behind her, "You got any pie?"

"Uh. It's in the freezer."

"Excellent! Can't have Thanksgiving without your famous apple pie."

A small smile parts, a little blush creeping onto her cheeks.

Someone clinks a glass and the dining room grows quiet as Henry stands up, clearing his throat and adjusting his shirt nervously as his eyes connect to hers.

"I just wanted to say that I know it's been a tough year." She swallows hard against the lump that blooms in her throat. "And I know, that we are missing some key people at this table tonight." He nods towards two chairs that are suddenly pulled up beside her. "And while we may never be a fully complete family again." She blinks hard against the lining of tears, hot against her lashes as she see's their names scrawled on two white tags. "I'm grateful I at least still have all of you."

It's not happy per say, but she does feel something in the pit of her stomach, something less akin to despair and leaning towards peace.

"So, Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I am thankful we still have each other."

Glasses are raised, and she holds her own up, absently cheersing those that surround her table. They all reciprocate before taking the first swig, and she looks down at the two empty glasses beside her, sighing heavy as her glass finds theirs.

"Happy Thanksgiving Roland." She taps her wine to an empty cup that should be filled with apple juice.

Swallowing heavy, she moves, clinking her wine glass to the other vacant one where he should be.

"Happy Thanksgiving Robin."


	48. Lemonade, Grass and Heat

**Lemonade, Grass and Heat**

It's hot, stiflingly so, all blue sky, no clouds, beating down bright yellow sun and she is sweating. Well, lightly perspiring, Queens don't sweat. The small of her back moist, clinging to the white cotton tank top, a trailing sweat bead running down her neck and between her breasts, even the ends of her hair and baby wisps on her temple are curling irritatingly in the heat. But it's not so much the weather that has her body sweltering as she leans over the chair, reaching for the pitcher of lemonade in quiet desperation of quenching her thirst.

It's the wrong _thirst_ , and the drink is far too sweet on her tongue, grainy sugar laced in tartness, but she headily gulps it down, crunches a melting ice cube and swallows, inhaling deeply as she watches quietly from the porch, pretending to busy herself in flowers or something else equally mundane. However, she has no flowers, not a single damn pot, so the plan of not staring is going rather terrible.

How can she not though? Stare? This is not a kink she'd thought she would ever have, is most certainly caught off guard by it, she is, well was, the Evil Queen, the face of royalty and regality, silly little peasant things like this shouldn't have her thighs trembling, pupils dilating, rushes of moisture slicking between her legs, a wetness that has her heart bouncing about, mind going to mush, throat running dry, third glass of lemonade be damned, and nipples straining against the slide of a silk bra.

And she tries to look away, really she does, attempts to focus on a marching line of little ants near her toes, eight of them, all circled around a drip of sugary yellow liquid. She watches a bird swing through the sky, a sparrow or perhaps a finch, she doesn't really know the difference between them. She flicks her gaze to everything but this, because _this_ is, well it's…it's ridiculous, preposterous, and downright embarrassing that something so simple has her squirming in the white wicker patio chair.

This isn't a situation she ever thought she would come across. Never would she have pictured domesticity like this to be a part of her life. In any capacity. Hadn't imagined herself standing in a robe every morning, making a full pot of coffee, instead of a half whilst cooking extra bacon and eggs, knowing that at quarter past seven strong muscled arms would wrap around her waist, a good morning kiss to her cheek she leans into before her love runs to wake their boys, who will grumble and bargain for a few more minute of sleep until plates are set in front of them, devoured in seconds.

Sure, she'd wondered about family life and all it entails, but honestly didn't realize just how in love she would be with the real thing. Quick goodbyes pressed into messy sleep hair, perhaps a longer one to soft lips, both promising to be home early from work because it's taco night. It's the littlest things that are everything to her.

But this. This is the part of domestic life she is newly learning, and adoring, amongst other things.

She could do it herself, obviously, with a wave of her hand it could be finished, but then she wouldn't have the opportunity to gawk and soak in this scene right now. Shirt off, tucked into the back pocket of low hanging dark denim jeans, tanned skin glistening in a hint of sheen and sweat, warmed by the sun, muscles flexing as he pushes back and forth, clipping green blades in perfectly straight passes that have her clenching shaky thighs together.

She has learned for an outlaw, he actually has a bit of OCD for things like this. Everything has a place, neat and tidy, systematically stacked, uniformly pressed, even, in line, immaculate. Much to her surprise, his little quirk has become quite the turn on. Granted she knows how impeccable she appreciates things to be, so the fact he doesn't snigger and poke fun at the symmetrical way she arranges dishes, or the specific need to fold towels in threes length wise, not square, well, it just has her pulsating even hotter for him.

Licking a drop of sugar sweet lemonade from her lower lip, she swallows heavily, gulping against the tightness in her throat as he sends a wink her way on his next pass, cheeky, dimpled, overtly smug.

He must know what this is doing to her, toying with her like this, purposefully splashing water on the back of his neck in a façade of cooling himself down, and in return setting her on fire as her eyes follow the beads that drip and trail along the carved grooves of his torso, sliding down taut defined muscle, soaking along the black elastic band of dark green briefs she knows are hiding under superbly fitted blue denim.

He should do this with no clothes on. She should make it a rule. As Mayor, and Queen, and just because she is his wife, technically she could. All house chores must be done naked, but only when she is home, has lemonade, or perhaps a nice bottle of Shiraz to sip on as she watches him tackle housework. Especially these kind of chores, the ones that have him slightly out of breath, hair tousled, a flecking of dirt defining area's she will be more than happy to wash off later in a sudsy, soapy, touchy feely shower.

Yes, definitely he should be doing this particular job sans clothes. Toned thighs, strong calves, adorable round ass all exposed for her viewing pleasure.

Fantasies are healthy.

Not that she is certain watching Robin mow her lawn in the nude should be at the top of her bucket list, or on it at all, but he is sexy, and shirtless, and cutting perfectly straight lines into the lush green of her front lawn. It is doing things to her. Dirty, naughty things. Perhaps she could get him a glass of lemonade too, poor thing, he must be tired by now, surely, and she should probably just run her hands along his chest to pick off the few stray blades of grass that cling deliciously to sweaty skin. He deserves it after doing _such_ a good job.

The jug is empty. Dammit. Rolling her eyes, she debates for a half second whether he _really needs_ a drink or could she just keep devouring him with her eyes. But his hand runs through his hair as he puffs out a breath, abs contracting with the exhale, and his jeans have been tugged down a bit revealing the slightest peak of green, and she should just take his...no...no...no... she certainly should not do what was just playing through her mind, in the middle of the afternoon, on a saturday when any moment, anyone could waltz by and see their precious Mayor engaging in inappropriate behaviour.

Later though...she muses, later could work, will work.

Her house is much cooler than outside, and if she had just stayed indoors then this entire issue wouldn't even be happening, she isn't some horny teenager, she's just horny. Dammit. The fridge. Open the fridge, grab the jug of lemonade and take it back outside. Simple. One step at a time. No problem. Easy as pie. Oh. They should have pie tonight, all warmed up in the oven, heating her home, even if she is already hot, and Robin is definitely hot, and she should probably get back outside to linger on his physique, but she was in the kitchen for something...what was it...right, lemonade, for her overworked husband whose currently slaving away outside in the swelter.

She steps quickly to get back outside, because she knows Robin is most likely thirsty, and still shirtless, and— Oh. My. God…

He's hedging her bushes, and christ almighty, he is taunting her, with every bloody snap of the metal shears, his biceps flexing, her knees weakening, the dimples on his lower back out for display, and she stares, licks her lips, and holds on tight to the cold glass of lemonade she was bringing out to him, taking a sip herself against the renewed parchedness in her throat, he won't notice anyway.

Her feet move, how she isn't really sure, but they do, and she is closing the distance between her and his half naked, sweaty, bronzed muscled, hoist her up and slam her against a wall, fuck me in all the ways body.

He moves, just to the right, pulling out a smaller pair of scissors and scowling at a rogue branch, pinching the leaf and pulling it, like he does to her nipples, oh god, and twirling the small bud between his fingers, and fuck, he snips it, precisely so, and the wall of greenery is picture perfect once more.

"Regina?"

When did she get beside him? Shit. This is ridiculous, why is she here again...standing beside him with wide eyes, stunned because he is close, really close to her, squaring them hip to hip, and jesus, his chest is not a foot from her, begging to be touched as his breath rises and falls, expanding and contracting rhythmically, and it's hot, under her fingertips that have subconsciously made their way to his pecs moving up as her eyes trail lower, to that button…

"Are you alright, love?"

She snaps, shakes her mushy, buzzing brain till reality clears back in, huffing out a trembly breath he hopefully didn't catch, because she would be mortified if he knew, and is totally embarrassed at the smug half grin plastered on his face, because he does know, smiles wider, all irritatingly dimpled and sparkling blue eyes. God, she should just punish him for being so ridiculously handsome and reading her like a book.

"I brought you a glass of lemonade." She swallows, retracting her hand still resting on his chest, and damn, she is obvious, needs to work on her poker face, but he trimmed her hedges, mowed her lawn, and cut her rose bushes into cute little blobs that adorn their walkway, and well, she loves him for it.

"It's empty?"

"What?" She looks down, and sure as shit, there is nothing but two half melted ice cubes clinking against the glass, apparently her self control mid horny trance is lacking severely.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He moves, grabbing her hip, damn near having her buckle from just a touch. "You look a little flushed." His other hand brushes along the nape of her neck, feeling the moist, sweat dampened hair and he is smiling at her, again, and she wants to smack him, kiss him, and then smack him, up against her vanity, or wall, oooh her shower wall… that is definitely a possibility, a cold shower, with a very hot, very naked husband.

"Too much time in the sun."

Robin hums, and Regina scorches because he knows, and she knows he knows, and he knows she knows he knows, and it's all just laughable, and absurd that she is so overtly turned on by him mowing their lawn. But he loves her, and all the weird hidden pulses that make his wife, _her._ And he loves everything about her, even the comical underlying reasons why she is pressing herself up against him now, running long fingernails down his back, and bloody hell he saw they were painted purple today, and she knows he loves purple on her, knows just how much the shade has him itching to touch her, to taste her, and fuck, yep, they are purple, he watches as her fingers run through her hair, and he's still not technically done working outside, and he needs to do the rest of the yard, but he'd rather do her.

She gasps, high pitched and breathy when he hoists her up, her legs wrapping around his waist, him holding her with single arm as he fumbles with the door handle, and he needs to fix it cause it's loose, and is making it impossible to open the damn door, and her magic pulses, the sudden cold air conditioned wall a welcome relief, but she is hot against his chest, lips attached to that particular pulse point behind his jaw and fuck, why do they have so many goddamn stairs in this house? Too many, he needs her now, and the couch will just have to work, she can gripe at him later for it.

.

..

…

..

.

Sated, jelly limbed and wonderfully naked she curls into him, sighing happily, pressing a kiss into his skin, that tastes like salt, and grass, and dirt and they should shower, and move off the floor in the den before someone decides to waltz in.

He stumbles, but holds her up right as the purple cloud fades away, chuckling that she ought to let herself have at least five minutes after coming that hard, and she wants to poke back at him, they didn't make it to the bedroom, or the couch, and that was entirely his fault, but she can't find the energy to do so when the soft scratching of her loofa slides up her back, thanks to him, and her forehead hits the crook of his neck, eyes closing as he suds up and washes her down.

He shuts the water off, she wraps her arms around him, kissing him happily as he hums into her mouth, patting her backside affectionately as she reaches to grab their towels, unable to tamp down the goofy grin, nor the lightness that pulses in her heart. She sits on their bed, one leg crossed under the other as she watches him dress, confused as he starts tugging on the same pair of pants, foregoing his shirt, which is fine by her, but is still odd, the front yard is done, it's not like there is anything for him to finish up.

He must see her bewilderment, because he laughs, and pads over to her, tipping her chin up and kissing her. She has half a mind to pull him down onto the mattress, and more importantly on top of her, but he pulls away before she can decide. Regina scowls, pouts out her bottom lip and glares at him, as his fingers tug open her towel, just so he can peruse her well seen to body for another moment before righting himself and stepping just out of her reach.

"Where are you going?"

"I still have the backyard to finish."

She whines, falling back into the pillows at the thought, Robin leaning over to nip at her breast before she rolls over, face buried into the pillows, hands curling the towel tight around her chest, a hitch and squeak escaping when his hand connects a bit rougher than a gentle pat on her bottom. She whimpers and the room goes silent, leaving her with nothing but a replay of earlier and the sudden new desperation to get the image of him back out in the sun, sweaty, flexing, and tending to her apple tree out of her head.

Focus on something else. Anything else. Like how she has to go to the grocery store to get ingredients for fajitas tonight, make a list, lettuce, tortillas, chicken, toma— the growl of the lawn mower echoes, rumbling just underneath her balcony, and what was she doing? Dinner. Fajitas. Tortillas, tomatoes...onions, lettu— there it goes again, fading and building which means he is walking back and forth again, in perfectly straight lines and fuck it all to hell, he can't see if she watches him from up here.

Tying her robe messily around her waist, she leans against the window, parting the blinds just enough that she can see him, and fuck, he is waving at her.

Dammit.

She seriously needs to find something out of the house to do.


	49. You Said You Loved Him Too

**From the sneak peek 6x10 in the graveyard with EQ and Regina after.**

 **(also it's 1am, but I couldn't sleep till I wrote this down - so my bad for mistakes, this is unbeta'd)**

It's cold, pain stakingly so as she crunches over frozen leaves on the path she has walked a thousand times. And yet. It's so different this time around. Hours earlier she'd come upon her darker self sitting in front of Robin's grave, mumbling something her thunderous heart muffled away, but it was her eyes that had Regina's heart stilling. The Queen, the one without a heart, had red rimmed eyes, and a shining wetness hidden from everyone but her.

She's figured it out, well, they both have, being split apart though till technically tied together by a soul comes with it's own intricacies, they feel the other's emotions. The anger, the rage, the bitterness, the softness, the pain, the longing...it's all there, whether they want it or not. The price of magic, unable to truly escape the other.

She screamed at the Queen in panic, furious she would dare stand in front of his tomb, but then, the monarch spoke, a tremble in her voice, thick and heavy, _she loved him too_. The words sank into Regina's gut, spiked and swirled about like tar. Of course the Queen would have loved him. Had been loved by him in some capacity. Regina knows that feeling. The pure light her lost love embraced her with, whispered it into every cell in her body, kissed his endearment into her skin every day, the butterflies flourishing at his dimpled grin saved only for her, hands that held her own strong and steady, much like the heartbeat she used to fall asleep with.

It's why she is here, eyes glued to the stone arc where his name is etched as she passes by, silently telling him she loves him, words he never had the chance to hear, but he knows she did, he had to of known.

For three weeks since his passing she has searched for a way to bring him back, but how she finds a lost obliterated soul, she does not know, spell books only can go so far, most relying on True Love's Kiss as a last resort.

But it didn't work.

She tried that night, in her office, huddled over his body, calling his name in a whisper through tears, brushing back tousled sandy brown hair and stubbled cheeks, had kissed his cold hard lips til her own felt like bleeding. She begged, quietly pleaded for his eyes to open. And much like the first time a love was taken from her, he didn't wake up.

So no, her spell books haven't helped, but Henry...he had given her an idea, probably on accident as he made mention of their soulmate title, her heart doubled over, and just maybe...maybe.

The door creaks open as she pushes against it hard, flicking away the blood lock tiredly, in no mood for any more games tonight, she's exhausted and just wants Robin back. There is no quiet muffled entrance she tries to hide, simply clicks down the stone steps and into her vault, commandeered by the Queen, and it's strange, walking into her own space that another holds, she should be annoyed, put up a fight and banish the royal, but she can't, finds it odd, and yet rather endearing? If that's the right word, that the monarch feels safe in this space, in her space.

"What do you want?" Her own voice growls out from around the corner, the sight of the Queen in a dark blue silk night gown and robe startling, but it's not really the time to comment on how undone her other half looks, dark circles under cold angry eyes, fatigued etched across her face. She wonders if she is looking into a mirror, the exhaustion that clings to her is overwhelming at best these days.

Regina swallows, shrugging her coat off and laying it on the chest beside her, "I need your help." The Queen laughs, rolls her eyes and arches an eyebrow at her docile twin, "I was wondering when you would switch sides." She stands, the silk robe flowing around her, "That's now what I meant." Regina snaps back, crossing her arms over her chest.

They can't hurt each other without inflicting pain on themselves, and while the thought surely has crossed Regina's mind that maybe it would all just be easier if she ended this herself, taking both Mayor and Monarch out in one swift crush of her heart, it's Henry that holds her here still.

"Then what Regina?"

"Robin. I need your help to bring him back."

The Queen stills, scowling hard, fire flickering behind her eyes.

"Why would I?"

Silence echoes around them, ricocheting off the walls as they stare at one another, equally trying to find a crack in the facade the other holds. The Queen breaks first. "It's not possible to bring back the dead. You of all people should know that." Regina winces, nodding that yes, she does know it, but still, the amount of hope speeches she has had to endure from Snow White have left maybe the smallest glimmer in her fragile heart that maybe there is a possibility, a chance.

"This is different."

"How?"

"He and I shared a soul, technically all three of us did now that you and I are…" she motions between them, "what we are."

A dark smile tugs across the Queen's face as hands come to rest on her hips, a finger pointing, accusingly questioning as she stalks forward, "You want me to give up my soul for him, don't you?" She snarks, pressing a long red painted nail into the black wool coat Regina wears, pushing hard till she see's the other woman shift under its pressure above her heart, their heart.

"I'd be giving up a part of mine as well, I just need a part of yours too."

"Do you really think I'd do that? For you?"

"Yes" Regina swallows thickly, tears burning at the back of her eyes though she dare not shed a single one now. "I think you will, I know you will. You remember what love felt like with him. I know you want that back."

"Love is weakness." The Queen hisses, though her eyes betray her, a swirling of something Regina hopes, is well, hope. Robin loved them, both of them, equally, unequivocally, and intentionally.

"You know that's not true."

"It made you weak, his death was the last straw that broke the camel's back."

"That doesn't make me weak."

"Doesn't it? You nearly destroyed yourself, destroyed me, all because of lost love. Haven't we gone down this path before."

"You weren't there with Daniel."

"Wasn't I? Haven't I always been with you Regina? Tucked away, locked up in a box you never intended on opening."

Regina shakes her head, but the Queen smiles, knowing the truth in her words. "I know what love felt like, but I also know that it's not worth the pain when you lose it."

"He loved you, just as much as me."

"No. He _only_ loved you. I just sat beneath the surface like a good little pet while you played heroic housewife. He never loved the Evil Queen."

"What about in the Enchanted Forest? He didn't fall in love with me, that was all you. Hard headed, tempered, angry and lost."

"We were still one person, he may have found interest in my presence, but it was the light side of you that pulled him in."

"You know that's not entirely true."

"How? How could I possibly know that?"

"The night of the shattered curse, you came out, in full force, and he wanted to stay, to protect you. Not me. You."

"No that's -"

"It is true. Don't deny it because you are being too stubborn to see the truth. He was never afraid of you, or of me."

The Queen steps back, dropping her eyes from Regina's that shine with tears, her own traitorously lining her lashes. It's not the same. If she brings him back, Regina gets him. Not her. He won't choose her. Won't love her. Won't want her. She'd be a bystander, forced to watch from the sidelines as her other half found the happiness they both craved with the same man.

"You said you loved him too."

"I can't."

"If you help me, I promise I will help you in return."

"You can't help me, Regina. I'm the _Evil Queen_ , destruction and revenge are all I know."

"I don't think that's completely true."

"Then you're just fooling yourself."

"Why else would you sit at his grave, in the middle of the night, laying a rose on his stone? Why, if you didn't want him back just as terribly as I do, would you be there talking to him?"

"I-"

"You miss him."

The Queen nods, stunned.

"I miss him too. And I need him back."

"If I give up a part of my soul, I don't know what happens to me. We are already split in two."

"I know. But if it brings him back, isn't it worth it?"

Regina's heart pounds in her chest, rattling between her ribs as she watches the Queen search inside herself, battling between self preservation that has been her only companion, and the desperate longing of what might be. She freezes as the Queen's heart pulses in purple electricity, slamming her fist into her own chest, catching a tight scream that Regina feels in her core, a ripping sensation that tugs low at her spine, shearing through tendon and muscle as it claws through her chest. A bright white ball produces in the Queen's hand, a second in Regina's. They both stare down at the swirling globe, light as a feather, opaque and warm.

"I thought mine would be darker." The Queen muses, walking back towards Regina, extending the glowing ball out in front of her. "Take it, before I regret this."

"Thank You."

She turns, sweat pooling down her back as her hands shake holding the two tiny wrapped up spheres of their souls, humming in her palms with steady vibration.

"Regina."

Her eyes cast back into the vault, to where the Queen has resumed sitting on the chest, _the one where Robin had chosen her all those months ago,_ her hands wrapped tightly around her abdomen, as she licks her lips, huffing out a trembling breath.

"If you do it, if he comes back…"

"I promise I'll bring him here."

The Queen nods, toying with a curl of hair.

"I do love him."

"I know. So do I."


	50. Tinkerbell

It's a memory clear and fresh as though it was yesterday, not decades ago. Meeting a young Queen desperate to escape the dark jail cell that held down her by chains, cutting into the soft outer exterior of a once naive girl, hardening her heart till nothing but pain and fury resided behind.

 _Love, you need love._

Words dreamily passed between, over a wooden picnic table under the beating sun. The chocolate swirls storming in hope, a dulled sparkle that wished to flourish, yet forced to the back by doubt and skepticism.

 _You're going to help me find another soulmate?_

She stole the dust, gripped the Queen's hand and ran through darkened alleys, her heart thundering at the opportunity of connecting lovers, being a part of a happily ever after. It's what fairies do, grant wishes. The idea that it would all come shattering down around her wasn't even a thought as she pointed to the man with the lion tattoo, bathed in a green glimmer, the Queen's sharp intake of breath, baited, anticipating and utterly terrified beside her, as they stared through the fogged tavern glass door.

 _Come on, Pixie Dust doesn't lie. This is your chance at love and happiness._

 _I can do this. I can be happy._

 _I know you can._

She'd walked away then, letting the Queen steal her nerves, let go of her anger and walk into the bar. Her heart skipped over and over, a melodic drumming, bursting like golden sunshine as she turned the corner, she had done it, brought a happy ending into reality.

..

...

..

Life gets in the way though, demon's break out of locked away places, creep into minds and hearts, dragging fear and uncertainty with them and before she understood what had happened, it was the thick coying forest of neverland that had become her new home, a banishment where she had no wings, no magic, and no one to believe in her.

 _Why couldn't you just go through that door and meet your soulmate?_

Rage, anguish filled, all consuming, tear burning rage. It swelled and boiled as her fingers gripped into the meaty flesh of the Queen's heart, who simply stood defeated fifteen feet away, unable to meet her gaze, looking dare she think it, ashamed.

 _Was being happy such a terrible fate?_

 _Yes. Yes it was. I was afraid…._ \- the heart in her palm thunders, pulsating rather sadly - _that anger was all I had...what would I be without it?_

Unbelievable, she didn't even know…

 _Happy._

It's all she wanted for the Queen...to be happy...for someone to finally give her a chance to prove she could be everything Blue wanted her to be.

Shame she picked the wrong soul to help.

..

...

..

 _Did you ever go back and find him? The man with the lion tattoo? -_ she knew the answer already, could tell by the sullen expression on Regina's face, but that flicker of hope still beat, still wondered if at some point during the wretched years of her life, had there been a moment of reprieve, a meeting of two people destined…

 _No_.

Of course she didn't, irritation floods through her - _do you know how selfish that is?_

The Queen stills, frowning slightly at her low tone.. _it's a lost of things, but how is that selfish_...it's there again, behind the darkness, she can see it, the young Queen, concerned and scared, hiding behind a mask of vengefulness and spite.

 _You didn't just ruin your life, you ruined his._

She doesn't care anymore, about the Queen of her destined soulmate, or at least doesn't want to care...but for every minute spent trying to save a boy from Pan, she see's it. The lingering casted gazes between Hook and the Blonde, the slight recoil in her chest, as though she'd been punched, when Snow White smiles doe eyed at her Prince. She aches for it, hidden away from eyes that can't see past her armour.

She aches for love.

Still.

..

...

..

It's at a funeral, well the aftermath of one, when she see's him, or rather it. Blaring out like a siren, black ink on gold tanned skin, a lion rearing on two hind legs, it's an image she's kept with her for years.

 _It's the lion tattoo!_ \- this could be it, maybe it was about timing instead - _he's your soulmate! -_ She hushes excitedly to the Mayor who gripes at her to be quiet, muttering she already knows who he is. For a fraction she is a touch put off at not being the first person to know about this, after all it was her pixie dust...stolen pixie dust, but all in the same.

She hears him move, her heart pounding as he makes his way over to them, extending out a glass of whiskey, and she wants to hug him for being here, for being so close to his soulmate, to their happy ending he isn't even aware of. A repeated cycling inner monologue to keep her composure, but she is buzzing, they are buzzing, talking in low husky tones they obviously don't realize, but she does, she hears how his voice falters, _I do hope I didn't upset you yesterday_...he's got nice eyes, eyes that are locked onto Regina's, blue like the ocean, dotted with greens and bronze.

How Regina can just stand there and not immediate throw herself into this man's arms, she will never understand …

 _Robin Hood - Tinkerbell….Tinkerbell, Robin Hood._

It's an introduction decades in the making.

 _I've been wanting to meet you for a very long time_ \- she grins, avoiding the eye roll and exasperated huff of breath from the woman beside her.

 _I don't daytime drink._

She's an idiot, a stubborn bloody child.

 _Ah, perhaps some other time then._

He is perfection, handsome, soft, rugged, and apparently persistent. Good, he'll need to be.

Robin walks away, and Regina, incredulously, does nothing, just stands there pretending to not follow every footstep he takes to the other side of the diner.

 _Maybe if your heart had been open to the possibility of love, your life wouldn't have turned out so…_

 _So what?_ The Queen snaps- _How did my life turn out?_

Defense, it's what she's always done, walling off everyone around.

 _Why do I even bother?_

..

...

..

She'd seen them around town, and her heart was all fluttery and blooming as they strolled hand in hand down the streets, pausing to kiss underneath archways, smiles never faltering as they leaned into one another. She glowed. From the tips of her green sparkling toe clad shoes to the last bouncing curl of hair. Finally, it felt as though she had gotten something right, did something right, had been a good fairy after all.

The feeling vanquished far too quickly as she watched another woman hold his hand, the Mayor on the verge of tears as her world was split apart. She could feel it. The fracture in the air as she counted every step the Queen walked away, away from her happy ending and the man that was supposed to give it to her.

She boiled at the thought he could be so careless with her, after everything they'd been through, he decides _honour_ lay with a woman who wasn't supposed to even be here. For weeks, the fairy brooded in her home, half wishing she could smack some sense into the outlaw for his ridiculous behaviour, the other anxiously wondering if she should go to Regina.

She didn't.

Had no real words that could provide any sort of comfort in a situation like this. Pixie dust isn't meant to bring heartache, and it's her fault, or so it seems that the Mayor is holed up in her home and office, avoiding the world like a plague that will bleed her dry should she venture out.

Months had passed, and Tinkerbell fell into the recesses of the new world, wondering if it had all been worth it when she watched devastated from the tree's as he kissed her once last time, held her hand and crossed the town line. She'd even gone as far as to follow the Mayor home, listened from beneath her balcony at the quiet inconsolable tears that muffled into silk pillows.

Maybe love isn't worth it.

..

...

..

He'd come back. She gone to save him and the world suddenly had a new light shining in her eyes. Okay, so maybe love just came with a few bumps in the road, but pixie dust never lies. They've found each other and all is as it should be.

They were happy. Cuddled together in Granny's booth, walking hand in hand with their boys around them, sitting snuggled side by side on a bench as their family played in the park. She knew it. This was it. A happy ending she'd been a part of creating. Pride swelled and she found a new bounce in her step, until they went to the underworld.

..

...

..

She stands on the doorstep, facing a white wall of pain beyond, the golden number 108 seem dull in the moonlight. His funeral was something she couldn't bring herself to attend. To force the image of Regina laying a rose on his grave and saying a goodbye that never should have happened. She feels responsible for the anguish that lay behind the front door, the apprehension of knocking tumultuous in her stomach, sitting like a stone weight.

Her knuckles rap quietly, half hoping maybe there won't be an answer, a notion that fades as she hears the padding of socked feet closing the distance, and the twist of the knob from the inside.

"Oh. Hey Tinkerbell."

It's Henry, puffy eyed, sniffly and tie undone, that answers the door. Death doesn't affect a singular person, that much is apparent as she smiles small at the young boy, knowing it wasn't just a soulmate that was lost, but a would be parent.

"Hi Henry. I'm sorry if this isn't a good time, I-" She what, what is she here to do? Her hands fidget nervously, maybe this wasn't a good idea. It feels as though she is simply here to rub salt on a very fresh, very deep bleeding wound. "I can come back." She turns, "Wait." He blows out a puff of air, opening the door wider, "Come inside, it's cold."

It's a rather feeble invitation, and she takes it hesitantly, walking across the doorway quietly so not to attract too much attention, but the house is quiet, save for the flickering crackle of fire in the room to her right. "Do you want something to drink?"

She shakes her head, politely declining, and moves to a place that feels hollow, and she the intruder. The crippling crumble of her heart stills her feet, Regina, sitting in the corner of her sofa, legs curled underneath a blanket, whiskey in hand as her swollen red rimmed eyes stare unblinking into the fire. Henry's hand on her back gently presses her into the room, guiding her to the couch, to a vacant cushion that seems far too close to the grieving woman. They sit in silence, her eyes unable to meet the ones that slowly move up her face, a tight inhale that follows. "Tinkerbell?"

It's shaky at best, the notice towards her presence, and the tears, traitorously so, and more than likely inappropriate right now, fall, thick and fat down her rosy cheeks.

"I'm so sorry Regina."

The Queen doesn't answer, merely stares at the woman curiously in front of her, feet shifting slightly to allow for more room.

"This is all my fault."

"No it's not."

"Of course it is."

She swallows thickly against the lump in her throat, praying for the tears to stop dripping down, it seems unkind she is here for absolution when consoling another is the more important pressing issue at hand.

"Why would any of this be your fault?"

"Because…" She sniffs hard, "If I never stole that pixie dust, if I never forced you to meet him, berated you for running away-"

"I never would have had him."

Tinkerbell nods, heart twisting in her chest. She created this pain. All of it. Just so she could feel good about herself. Selfish to the enth degree. She's a horrible, horrible fairy.

"I'm so-sorry I did th-at to y-you." Her face clouds with misery as Henry hands her a tissue, to which she presses to her face, hiding her misery behind white flimsy cotton. "That I forced you-"

"You didn't force me Tinkerbell." Regina reaches for her hand, prying it away from her face to settle in her own lap, lacing their fingers together as new tears line gritty dry eyes. "You did exactly the opposite." The fairy frowns, crinkling the snot blown tissue in her free hand. "You gave me another chance at love."

"But you lost it, again."

The mayor nods her head, wiping away her own tears as Henry settles at their feet, resting his head on his mother's thigh.

"It's not fair to you Regina."

"Not much in life ever is."

'But you deserved it. After everything you have been put through, after all you've conquered and survived, this should have been your happy ending."

"You're right, but I think there is still a part of me that thinks I don't truly deserve a happy ending after everything I did."

"But you've changed."

"I have, but maybe not enough to warrant it."

"I don't believe that."

Regina shrugs, combing through Henry's hair. And the fall into a quiet silence, for minutes she doesn't have the energy to count, nor wishing to dwell on.

"I'm still sorry."

"You shouldn't be."

"I caused this pain."

"No. Hades caused this pain."

"You wouldn't be in this situation if I didn't press you to find him in the first place."

"Well, you're right, I suppose."

Tinkerbell sinks at that, knowing it's finally time to have the Queen's agonizing wrath handing to her on a silver plate, and she breathes heavy waiting for the onslaught.

"I'm grateful for what you did."

Their eyes meet, matching watery wells, a sad smile gracing a confused stunned bewilderment.

"I lost him. There is no bringing Robin back."

The fairy's heart crumbles.

"But, I also got to love him, and be loved by him, and that is something I can't ever regret, I won't ever regret."

She tries to hold them back, to stifle the bleeding in her heart, but she can't, her will crashing around her as she begins to sob, uncontrollably, into the arms of the last person she really expected to be consoled from.

They sit there, huddled on the mayor's couch, weeping for a man who was taken so unfairly, crying for the life that will never be fulfilled, and it hurts, cuts deep in Tinkerbell's stomach, a piece of her crumbled to ash, damaged and irreversible.

"Pixie dust didn't lie, and I am grateful Tinkerbell, for you."


	51. Have We Met Before?

**POST 6x10 REGINA AND ROBIN HOOD.**

She's ready. Ready to go home, back to the world they belong in, her heart stampeding as the portal swirls emerald and white two inches from her toes. All they need to do it jump. She feel's Emma reach for her hand, to which she grasps, not wanting to get separating in the in between. Any second now, it just needs to get a little larger and then -

 _WHOOSH!_

They duck as something whizzes past their heads, brushing the top of her hair as they fall to the ground. "What the hell?". She turns to the log, seeing a second arrow pierce the bark.

"Not another step ladies."

She freezes at the voice. A voice only heard in her dreams, a sound lost to her since that horrid day. It can't be though, he's gone. It's not him. The disbelief muffled out as she turns to the source. Time stops. Swirls around and hones in on a silhouette she'd never thought she'd get to see again. Her ears ring, blood thundering about as she stands on shaky legs, the rocks below shifting beneath her boots. Blue. Bright ocean blue. They stare right at her, and she is lost to them. But it's not possible. He's gone. She watched him die. She buried him. Laid a rose on his grave. Has gone back every night to the grave site just to talk to him, though no one answers.

She's going crazy.

"This is a robbery."

Oh God.

His voice.

It's his voice.

The soft timber burns through her as she brushes past Emma, hands trembling in leather gloves as his bow points directly at her. He's a mirage. He has to be. But she has to make sure she's not hallucinating, has to just see if he is truly standing, breathing and alive not ten feet away, needs to feel his heart beating under her palm.

Her voice shakes as she calls his name, not really to him, but to herself, because this can't be real, feels utterly impossible that she can see him, standing, right there, talking to her, actually talking, using real words, not just ones her mind creates when the nights get lonely and desperate.

"Let's go!" He changes his stance, shifting his aim away from her, though his eyes maintain her gaze. "Off with the jewelry." She'd give everything she has to know if this isn't a dream, part of this odd wish realm her mind is conjuring. Would give the stars freely if she could, just to be able to touch him, to feel him. She hears Emma react, anxious as she moves past her, something about he's not real, it's a dream, he's not real. But he has to be real. Doesn't he? He's right there. Looking straight at her. He has to be real.

She steps closer, heart thrashing about her chest as the world fades to nothing but him, his hair darker, shorter, less scruff, but she can see his dimples that used to smile at her, can see the tension in strong arms that once held her close, the hot burn of tears lining her vision as he too steps closer, edging away the distance between them. Why doesn't he recognize her? Why hasn't he thrown down his bow and kissed her till their breath ran dry? Why is he...he doesn't know who she is. The urge to crumble flourishes at the realization. It's the wish realm. A realm where no one is who they are in Storybrooke. It's a false creation. A life where they haven''t met, where she ran away from him at the tavern, he doesn't even know who she is, who _they_ are.

She see's it. The edging line of black ink on his forearm. The prophecy she was so afraid, had only tasted it for a less than a year, lived with the inkling of what love was, what happiness was. It's not him. But it is him. The confliction runs tumultuously through her as Emma screams they have to go, and they do, they need to get home, but it's him. It's her Robin. Kind of. But everything about him, it tugs her further away from their escape, closer to him, she needs him. Needs to talk to him, regardless of his unknowing stare, confused look and drawn arrow, pointedly at her once more.

She just needs a moment with him.

"M'lady."

She tenses hard at the lost affectionate nickname as the memories crash about her mind; _M'lady you're injured. Apologies M'lady. His extended hand in rescue in the alternate universe with the Evil Snow. M'lady, M'lady, M'lady….._

"I should have you know, I don't intend on letting this arrow loose, but I won't ask again. Your jewelry." He motions down to her hands, locked in fists by her sides. It should scare her, walking up to an armed man who has no idea who she is, who is obviously not quite the man she remembers, but the fear is nowhere, not a scant inch bubbles in her gut. His eyes frown at her continuing apprehensive approach she can't help but step forward with and it's there, pine, and fresh rain, it coats her like a warm hug, he still smells like forest.

The point of his arrow presses into the wool of her coat, and his eyebrow arches, "You're quite brave aren't you?"

Is she? Is this bravery? Being sucked towards him like this. Unable to control the urge to be near him when he has no clue who she is? Well, bravery be damned, and apparently self control over her tears that now drip warm on to wind blown cold cheeks. He softens at that. Seeing her cry. He didn't really mean to frighten them, just needs to pawn off some gold so he can buy some food for the Merry Men.

And yet.

There is something strange about her. Something in her wet shining eyes that has his bow lowering uncharacteristically, he's seen her eyes before. Where he cannot place, but they are a beautiful color of warm chocolate, flecked with gold around her irises, and if he is being openly blunt, well, they are the most stunning eyes he's ever seen, _she_ is the most stunning woman he's ever seen. But he has seen her before, she seems so familiar, his heart apparently agreeing as it thumps erratically in his chest.

He's heard of love at first sight, though has never encountered the phenomenon before, and yet is partial to believe that maybe he is experiencing it for the first time.

"You're not from around here are you?" He questions, with his weapon now hanging beside him, heart clenching at her shaky intake of breath, and she looks scared, or rather anxiously timid as her eyes scan his face, down his body, lingering on his right forearm for a moment. He wants to touch her, reach out the small distance between them and link their hands together, promise he won't hurt her, has this sudden urge to protect her, to hold her, kiss the red plump lips her white teeth bite down into. Who is she though?

He needs to know, needs to quell the strange sense of deja vu flooding him in a tidal wave, "Have we met before?"

Regina smiles at that, and Robin feels deliciously warm from the tips of his toes to the ends of his hair, she's got a gorgeous smile, meek as it may be.

"Because forgive M'lady, but, I doubt I'd ever forget meeting you."

She beams, through tears, and Robin has no doubt, maybe he's found the one his soul has been searching for.


	52. 12 Days - Day 1 - Hands

**In Honour of Fluffy Christmas, we are going to have the 12 Things I Love About You, Outlaw Queen Style.**

 **Enjoy! & Merry Christmas**

 **xox.**

 **..**

 **.**

 **Day 1: Hands**

He likes to hold her hand, walking side by side, between the multi-colored lit streets, through the dense green forest, across the docks, and along the sidewalks. He relishes the feeling of her fingers laced between his own, covered in wool gloves, but he can still feel the warmth that radiates from her palm. They are a splendor, her hands. Soft and slim, supple skin, and perfectly rounded nails, usually bare from color, save for the deep plum on special occasions, he most definitely likes that hue on her.

They house power of the utmost peak, can render villains silent, and burn forests with a flick. He's seen them wield fire and ice, electricity and thunder, these small delicate hands he cherishes so much. Ten thin fingers that curl in beckoning, of which he always answers, slender digits that stroke through curly unruly brown curls during bedtime, stir and layer ingredients till perfection, and slap away thieving hands attempting to poach from the bowl too early.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of a dull scratch at the base of his skull in the morning, a gentle rousing, soft and affectionate. And yet, the hard lines they draw down his back, clinging to sweaty shoulder blades, and gripping against his backside, that feeling is also hard to out do.

A small scar lines the inside middle finger on the right side, a slip of a knife when she was first learning to cook in this world, another on her pinky, below the knuckle, from something she can't quite recall. Three beauty marks line the space between thumb and pointer, a simply delicate line between, another on her left wrist, hidden by sleeves most of time. He likes them, these dark soft pinpointed marks on her skin, her own little personal constellation. There's yet to be a day he hasn't kissed her knuckles, once when the sun rises, the second, when it falls and the moon follows, a silent vow to never leave her side, not ever again.

He's felt the fearful trembling within them when things seem far to hopeless to overcome, watches the way they tense and clench tight, knuckles white, nails biting into soft skin, a desperate way to edge away the anger and frustration when her voice won't allow an outburst. He's held them, cold, sweaty and shaking when panic arises, the thought _what would I do if I lost you,_ a constant passing thought between them. It's happened before, far too many times than seem just, the horrible sensation of her fingertips leaving his, the last flicker of electricity pulsing before everything goes numb and he watches her fade away.

He dreamt of her hands, how they should have been locked into his own on empty days, felt them press against his lips when she decided that was enough talking when more pleasureable activities surely awaited. The bitterness of sweet memories flooding him every day he was without her, how they'd curl around his shoulders holding him tight, scratch against his stubble before she kissed him, and tousle his hair playfully after a shower.

It's amazing the things he'd missed once they were gone. Obviously there had been bigger things, more apparent ones, but this, the feeling of walking down the street with her as snowflakes glide through the sky, nestling in white blankets against their scarves, her head against his shoulder, sighing happy, an easy smile lingering on her lips, and her hand clasped within his own, where it rightfully belongs.

It's one of the things he loves about her most, how she loves to hold his hand, for he does too, possibly even more so somehow, now that there is a simple diamond ring scratching softly against his fingers, a promise for many more days of hand holding to come.


	53. Christmas Advent Fic

**OQ** **Christmas Advent**

 **Merry Christmas to my fellow OutlawQueener's! I wish you all the merriest of holidays, filled with silver bells, christmas twinkling lights, and stuffed to the brim with eggnog. All the best this holiday season my loves!**

 **.**

 **..**

 **.**

She's never had a Christmas quite like this. So beyond overwhelmingly full, stuffed to the brim every single day with some new festivity, another town fair with far too many knicks knacks to buy, gingerbread cookies smothered in icing, the Merry Men's impromptu carolling group, Granny's candy cane hot chocolate stand, all of it. It's bursting at the town seams. Every store strung with colored lights, lamp posts glowing in star shaped decals, sparkling snow tree tops lining the roadways, a constant, quiet humming of Silver Bells everywhere she goes. It's magical. Really and truly beyond wonderful. Having a family to share it with has just made it that much more so.

In the early years during the curse, Christmas was almost non existent, barely a color lit tree or jingling of bells to be heard. She had no one to celebrate with, and had truly felt empty inside. Besides no one would want to share holidays with her regardless.

It changed when Henry came along. The sudden need to give him absolutely everything, treat him to any desire, prove to everyone and maybe even herself she was a damn good mother. But now, well the holiday doesn't seem quite so forced, or materialistic anymore.

She finds herself wanting to wake up early and make pancakes in the shape of snowmen, is more than willinging to walk around the shops to find just one more thing, even if she's already been inside a hundred times, was actually thrilled when Henry brought out four sets of matching white, red and green waffle cloth pajamas for them all to wear, tacky as ever, adorned with threaded candy canes, presents, and christmas trees. Her little family, the newest cheesy picture found in the holiday catalogue and she utterly adores it.

Robin in his own right has become Mr. Clause reincarnate. The beacon of Christmas in their town. He now knows the words to nearly every carol, wears a dopey red Santa hat at all times to which she might roll her eyes at, when he walks into her office, red fuzz and white fluff ball bouncing atop his head, it's cute, he's cute and has found that the simplest way to wipe off her unamused look, happens to be mistletoe. Regardless of who is around, he is there, holding it proudly above them both, and it's not that she minds really, has found a far bit of delight in the tradition to be completely honest; now that she has someone to share it with, even if her boys make loud protests and screwed up icky faces each time. She likes it. Kissing him because she can, because he wants to and apparently can't go without bussing her lips at least ten times in a day, maybe by noon if he is so wishing.

Yes, Robin certainly has taken Christmas traditions to heart, though not without a small bump.

He, alongside the Merry Men were initially horrified at the idea of cutting trees down, utterly abhorred and shocked that people wished to " _murder nature"_ just for their own pleasure. It was uncouth, grotesque, a travesty of the highest offence. That was until the littlest of Merry Men had stood in the middle of camp all trembly lower lip and watery chocolate brown eyes over the fact "Santa" would have no where to put his presents if he didn't have a tree.

Resistance wasn't an option after that.

Little John had formed a committee that very night, swearing they were to be the only ones touching the trees, as apparently only _they_ _know how to do it correctly_. Soon enough her living room was stuffed with the largest pine ever to grace her home. All twinkling lights, perfectly restrung after everyone had been tucked away in bed full on eggnog, red and gold balls hung symmetrically about the branches, a light winding of tinsel (which had taken her a good hour to try and fix after Roland and Henry's tinseltown fight, her poor evergreen caught in the middle, eventually giving up and using her magic to discard the silver cluster bombs), delicate iridescent white garland twine for extra sparkle, all finished and capped off bright beautiful star glowing warmly on top.

Her entire home smells like forest now. Rich evergreen soaked into every single crevasse and cushion.

She loves it.

.

..

…

..

.

It's a week before Christmas, and Regina, Roland and Henry stroll down the snowy street, sipping down candy cane hot chocolate, musing happily at the decorations on each house as they make their way to the fair, _another fair_ , but this one is special, has a certain secret guest waiting just beyond the green archways, red velvet carpet, and twinkling lights. A specific someone, her youngest boy hasn't stopped babbling on about since Henry read him his first ever christmas story. Everything was "Santa this. And Santa that. Where does he live? How does he know where we are? Why didn't he come in the Enchanted Forest? What are reindeer? How does he fly? Is he a fairy?" It was endless, beautiful, adorable, and nonstop.

Roland doesn't know who they are coming to see, they've all kept it hushed, though he has asked more than once where Papa is, a question Regina quickly deflects with some silly amicable excuse he swallows without issue, more intrigued with the extra whipped cream in his cup than anything. Sugar high later be damned.

They walk around for a little while, Regina picking up a few more small stocking stuffers as her boys run over to the apple bobbing stand. She snags a new leather wallet for Robin, wool hat to replace Roland's rather tattered current one, and a small pendant for Snow, never once questioning, but rather nonsensically chuckling to herself over the fact the once "Evil Queen" is currently fawning in apprehension over which piece of jewellry to buy the girl who had "ruined her life". The pearl beaded bracelet? Or the emerald drop necklace? Certainly not a conundrum she'd have guessed for herself years ago to be in.

Definitely the emerald, it matches Snow's eyes.

Hiding her newly found trinkets in her purse, she joins them, unable to hold back the uncharacteristic giggle that's found it's way into her life, at Roland's drenched curls, soaked and pasted to his forehead as he grins up at her, apple clamped between teeth, Henry frustratingly still in search of his first in the water below.

She snaps a quick picture, both in phone and in memory. "Roland, I think there is someone special here we should go meet."

The apple drops, splashing back into the wooden barren, "Who?!"

Regina smiles, brushing back the messy mop of hair, _he needs a haircut whether Robin wants him to get one or not_ , "Let's go find out shall we?" Her gloved hand is quickly latched onto as they munch on the crisp sweet apples, stepping between the snow covered stands and cheery crowd, if she cranes hard enough, surely that's Will and Alan ringing out _Silver Bells_ somewhere nearby.

She motions for Henry to grab the camera, wanting to capture the moment as they walk around the corner, her heart melting at the awestruck gasp her littlest boy let's out, abruptly cut short by a tiny squeal as he jumps up and down, clinging to her hand, "Mama! Mama! It's Santa! He's here! Can we go see him! Please Mama! Pleeeease!"

He's gone before she even gets the chance to say yes, or swallow the fact he just called her "Mama" in the middle of town where anyone could have heard, it's something he only does just before sleep takes him over, a light whisper that echoes in her heart.

Watching as he gallops between the crowd, bouncing uncontrollably upon reaching the entrance, Regina's shoulder is knocked gently by Henry, who is beaming at her, knowing exactly what has her eyes shining with tears, "Come on, _Mama_." He smiles, wrapping an arm around her waist with a quick squeeze before he starts off in front of her.

"He's right there!" Roland shrieks, gripping the candy cane entrance way as though he is about to float away should there be nothing to hold him here. _Thank God_ Henry was smart enough to take a video instead of a picture. This is certainly a montage she is going to be watching over and over again.

Bending down to his level, hugging around his tiny coat bundled waist, she whispers into his damp hair, "Should we go say hello?" pressing a kiss to a chubby cheek as he curls back into her, vibrating as he leans into her warmth, nodding and not once taking his eyes off the white bearded, red cloaked, round bellied bowl full of jelly man that sits on the chair in front of them, currently involved in a deep discussion with another young boy on his lap.

They wait in line, listening to David prattle at Neal about listening, who is completely preoccupied with chewing on his stuffed reindeers ear instead of doing as his father requests. Granted the child is barely two, Regina herself still finds the shepherd a bit irritating herself and that's after 35 years. Smirking to no one but herself with a roll of the eyes as David tries to pry away the soggy toy, much to Neal's outright dismay, she feels Roland tug on her hand, directing her attention back his way.

"What are you gonna ask Santa for, Ro?" Henry points the camera to capture the moment, but nothing happens. Not a peep. Regina frowns, it's completely unlike her son to suddenly fall shy, especially around her and Henry, and even more so now, what with the white bearded man he's been praying to see for weeks, now just feet away. She hears said man give a hearty chuckle, wishing Aurora, Phillip and their littlest "A Very Merry Christmas", her heart swelling at the smiles painted on the two children's faces as the wave bye.

Santa turns, righting his hat and fixing his belt as he catches sight of Roland, huddled behind Regina's legs. She looks down, looks up, around to Henry, vexed as to what is going on, but tiny fingers curl into the hem of her coat sleeve just a fraction tighter and that has her moving into mommy mode.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Mhmm, he nods, gripping her hand tightly as she slowly guides him up the three red steps, feeling the small hint of resistance with every inch covered, all the way to where the man himself awaits, still smiling. She feels Roland stiffen slightly as the distance continues to close, his body pressing tight behind her legs as they come to a stop.

She sends a quick blushing smile to Santa, who simply chuckles, nods in understanding and gets down on his knees. "Hello, young sir." a black leather glove extended out. Roland says nothing, just tucks further back behind Regina, who is frankly bewildered by the sudden nervous apprehension of her usually effervescent, bubbly son.

He's not been this hesitant around anyone. Not since she found him silently following her through the dark castle back in the missing year, hiding in the shadows as she walked by, all wide eyed and timid in approach when she'd sit down in the middle of a silent empty hallway, ridiculous skirts puffing out about her, and smile. Nine days it had taken. Nine days of quiet hellos and colorful magic bubbles bouncing off the walls, exploding in sparkling dust around Roland, who'd chase them heroically, giggle and ask for more. And she'd do it, till her feet went numb and back started to ache, would sit on the dusty floors in her Castle, playing with a child she barely knew and while loathing his father, Roland was nothing but happiness in her incredibly dark world.

Eventually, distance had closed, and little fingers finally found her own.

"And what's your name?" Santa tries again, getting only silence back. An eyebrow arches up at her, blue eyes uncertain in their twinkling, she knows how special this moment is supposed to be, how much they have all been looking forward to it, had barely been able to bite her tongue on multiple occasions when questions were asked. But this isn't what she, or any of them, were expecting.

Regina turns, scooping Roland up into her arms, nuzzling his nose with her own, "What's wrong, baby?" Again just silence, but brown button eyes stare past her, full of wonder. "Don't you want to say hi to Santa?" Messy brown curls shake back and forth, a definite _no_. Bouncing him gently on her hip, she turns them both around, back to Santa, focusing Roland's attention hopefully on her as she hugs him tighter. "You don't have to be afraid. I'm right here. Can we try again?"

"No."

Well, she's stumped. Shrugs at Henry, who is still holding the camera, and Santa sitting behind them, watching the whole conversation curiously.

"Hey mom, is it okay if I go first?"

Regina nods, though unsure as to what Henry is doing, being fifteen and huffing himself down onto a fictional character's lap...well okay, maybe it's not _that_ strange, not here, or for them at least. She shifts Roland till his legs wrap around her waist, chilly cold fingers tucking under her scarf, finding reprieve against her warm skin, apparently he lost his gloves. They sway back and forth as Henry rattles on about what he'd like for Christmas, flicking his eyes over to Roland every few moments, before throwing out a hefty laugh, hugging Santa with one arm.

Her heart glows, all of her, from tip to toe as she realizes what Henry is trying to do. Apparently it's working, Roland now sitting up in her arms instead of curled away in her coat. The idolization of a big brother in it's purest form. He wriggles, and she sets him down, but the two steps forward seem to be a bit too big, and Roland freezes on the spot again, watching Henry thank Santa in advance for the new Xbox he's hoping for, eyeing up Regina in the process with a cheeky grin, who smirks with a heavy roll of her eyes. The Xbox is already wrapped, perfectly if she might add, tailored sharp corners, symmetrical slices of tape, all tied together with silver ribbon and glittering bow, hidden in her closet, where she is certain he's hasn't found it yet. Her hiding spots have been changed at least four times in the past few years, having an outlaw, little outlaw and budding teenage outlaw have certainly made things a bit more difficult.

"Mom, you're turn!" He vacates Santa's lap, both beaming up at her as she takes his place, gingerly settling down on red velvet pants, taking in the entire costume head to toe. He looks adorable.

"Hello, Miss."

"Santa."

He smirks, running his knuckles between her shoulder blades gently. "And what would you like for Christmas?"

Roland frowns as Regina sits down on Santa's lap, without him, laying her arm across his shoulders, and hearing Santa ask if she has been a "Good Mayor this year?", to which Regina laughs, unbeknownst to Roland, pokes the man in the neck underneath the layer of fake white hair, and nods, proudly chiming out she has been a _very good girl this year._ He hears Santa ask what the "pretty lady" would like for Christmas, and that's end of it, there is no way he is going to let Regina take up all Santa's face time, not when he has written at least 10 letters to him, not Regina, she hasn't written even one!

He tugs Regina's coat, momentarily scowling at her for her blatant disregard of him.

"Oh, hello, would you like to sit with us now?" She croones.

He huffs, rolls his eyes as if it's the silliest question he's ever heard and clambers up into her lap, still careful to not quite touch Santa, this is close enough thank you very much, but it's sufficient, giving him adequate leverage so he can actually look into the blue eyes he's only seen in movies.

"Hi, Santa."

Regina's heart melts at how quiet Roland's greeting is, feeling his fingers curls around her scarf, if only he knew.

"Hello, young man. I was just talking to your lovely Mama — " Regina blushes at that, but stays quiet, combing through Roland's hair instead "— about what she would like for Christmas. But just between us..." he winks down at her littlest, bowing his bearded chin and dipping his head so the red hat blocks out Regina momentarily, "...has she been good enough to warrant diamond earrings? 'Cause she'd have had to be _awfully_ good this year for those."

Roland snickers at that, nodding his head and Regina can do nothing but smile.

"You're sure?" Santa cocks an eyebrow, flicking his blue gaze up to Regina quickly before hunkering in closer to Roland. "Like, really, really sure?

"Yup."

"She hasn't forgotten to make your favorite dinner once?"

"Nope."

"Even chicken fajitas?"

"We had those yesterday!"

"Hmmmm." The man pulls on his white beard, stroking it thoughtfully in amusement, "Does she always tuck you into bed?"

"Yup!"

Santa eyes him up quizzically. "With a good night story?"

"Sometimes I even get two!" Roland leans in, chubby hands cupping around his mouth though his voice doesn't exactly follow the need to be hushed in secrecy right now, "She waits till Daddy falls asleep and then comes to read me another one."

"Oh ho! Does she now?"

"Mmhmmm."

"So she keeps secrets from your Papa?"

"Only some."

Regina cringes at Roland's honesty, granted there aren't many actual secrets she keeps from Robin, nothing important anyway.

"What would those be?"

"I can't say!"

"Why not?"

"Because, it's a secret."

"Ahhh, I see."

 _Good boy._ She smiles

"But she did tell Daddy that it wasn't her who hid his arrows, but it was!"

 _Dammit._

"Ho! Well then!" Santa sits up, cocking an eyebrow at Regina from under the white fuzzy lined hat, the matching ball on top flopping about animatedly as his arms fold over his red covered chest, "Is that true, young lady?"

She tries to stifle her laughter into her glove, shaking her head no, but Roland is there to give her up, "Mama! Yes it was! You said you were gonna fry Papa if he shot another arrow at your apple tree." It only makes her laugh harder, tears coating her lashes and Santa shoots her a look, crinkling his eyes behind the beard. _She's toast._ "But then Henry said that was mean. So you just hid his arrows instead." Her shoulders shake as she bites down on the leather of the glove, apparently she is in trouble, _big trouble_ , what with the glare Mr. Claus is sending her direction.

"Well, sounds like Regina should be on the naughty list."

She heats. Now is _not_ the time. Later. Definitely Later.

"No! You can't!" Roland is on Santa's lap now, hands holding the older man face in desperation for her defence. "She's been good! I promise!"

Regina smirks as Santa takes a minute, "I don't know young man…" tapping a black leathered finger on the tip of his nose, "I swear! She makes me cookies, and gives the best snuggles, and she teached me how to tie my shoes like a big boy."

Playfully befuddled at what to do, she watches as Santa strokes through his long beard, humming in contemplation, firing Regina a quick wink as he lets out a rather ridiculously loud sigh, "I'll trust you on this, Roland."

"Yes!"

They laugh, her hand drumming along a red velvet shoulder that shifts a touch closer to her, and Regina can't think of a time she's been this happy, feeling as though she may float away, a hot air balloon steaming off love. It's just serene, sitting here, with a light snow falling about her little family, as Roland rattles off all the things they do together, their family; breakfast in bed, swings at the park, movie and pizza night on Tuesdays, even if Regina refuses to let them get extra cheese and stuffed crust except on special occasions. It's magnificent. Has her glowing from head to toe with adoration. Just feeling so damn grateful.

Bopping Roland on the nose, Santa's head tips down, the white moustache wiggling as he questions seriously, "And what would you like for Christmas, young man?" as though it is of the utmost importance.

Roland bites his lower lip, tugging a string on his coat as he looks up at Regina, then to Santa, Henry moving to hold the camera to catch the moment in action, quickly saving the pictures he's already taken, deciding maybe getting one or two of them framed would make a good gift for his parents as he waits for Roland's answer. He's asked for a toy train set, a new bow and arrow (Regina bought a plastic nerf version instead, much to Robin's chagrin), a new game to play with Henry on his new XBOX, the boys trading quick high fives at the second nod to the wishful gift, maybe a new pair of boots, and then he stops, bounces a bit on Santa's thighs, recoiling back into that nervous shy shell Regina's never seen before, one that has her squirming as to the reason why.

She's about to ask him whats wrong when his breath puffs out, a warm cloud that covers his face for a moment, "I'd like a baby brother or sister to play with."

Oh.

Well that she hadn't been expecting, the request has her stomach flipping and fluttering with a swirl of butterflies, as she gapes down at her son, who simply looks between the pair as if he's asked for new socks, all big brown button eyes, puppy dog staring up at her, melting her from the inside out, turning everything warm and gooey.

He's never once mentioned this. A new family member. Has been quite content, or at least she had thought, being the baby of the family, completely spoiled, snuggled and cuddled, but apparently she's missed the mark on this one. Well it certainly will make things easier.

She feels blue eyes bore into her own, a smile pulling against her lips as she flicks her gaze up to Santa who is doing nothing but grinning, her heart skipping merrily around her chest.

"Or a puppy!"

She laughs, shaking her head at the quick transition combing her fingers through his tangled mess of curls, planting a happy wet kiss to his forehead, which he immediately giggles at before hopping off Santa's lap with a hug. She watches her boys go, running off to another stand in search of more treasures certainly, her hands lacing between larger leather gloves. Her heart skips a beat as she turns back to Santa, who is eyeing her thoughtfully as his hand moves to her lower stomach, thumbing against the thick wool coat softly.

"A puppy huh?" She chuckles, pressing her own palm to the small swell, ever so new, completely unplanned and absolutely thrilling. They'd found out two weeks ago, that something she never thought she'd have was actually going to come true, their own little miracle.

"Think we can convince him for a new baby as a birthday gift instead?" Robin laughs, pulling her in a fraction tighter as she plays with the buttons on his coat. "The timing is almost perfect is it not? His birthday is the twenty second of July."

She hums, nods her head, "Mhmmm, and this little spud is due the eighteenth. Almost too good to be true I'd say." Her forehead knocks against his temple, eyes closing as she breathes in the chilled air. "You look fantastic as Santa by the way."

"You think?"

"It's perfect, Robin."

He smiles, squeezing her hip as she stands up, flicking the white fluffy ball on his hat.

"I'll see you at home, M'lady."

Regina leans in, tipping his red hat back, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Claus." Her lips press softly against his, through matching smiles as her fingers ruffle the white wispy beard. A vision of their future flashes through her mind of the two of them, old and grey, swaying on a porch swing, watching their grandkids run about the lawn, his fingers threading through her hair, her knuckles brushing against his cheek, dimples hidden by peppered stubble, deeper happy wrinkles adorning both their faces.

Joy warms her heart.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Claus." Robin swirls his thumb over the small swell of her stomach again, and she smiles.

Their future is bright.

And she couldn't be happier.


	54. Day 2 - Eyes

**Day 2: 12 Things I Love About You.**

They change color, his eyes.

Some days they are bluer than the afternoon sky in winter, when he is bright and full of adventure, they sparkle, with wonderment and mischief. Like when she watches him run about the backyard with their boys, bubbling laughter through plastic arrow wars, diving into bushes and behind trees. Or how he thinks his footsteps are lighter than what her ears can pick up, his pride as a notorious shadow thief and all, as he slinks closer to her from behind, wrapping her up right in his arms and spinning so they are chest to chest, close enough he can affection her lips for a moment far too short. And she lets him, soaks in the dazzling intensity of blue before giving in to him.

Some days when the world weighs heavy, they are dark navy gray, glowering and stormy through a hard set stare she can't seem to break him out of. Those are the worst, when the bright happiness fades into overwhelming simmering resentful anger, all within his eyes that simply glare outside, cursing the world for all the unfairness that it brings, the pain and suffering of loss, betrayal, the never ending fear of being pulled apart again.

Other days they almost could be emerald green, a brilliant low burning glow, catching gold specks in the light if she looks close enough, moments when he is caught deep in quizzical thought, and she finds herself wondering about his wonder. The curiosity that plagues his mind, whether he is trying to make sense of this modern world, or simply looking at her in disbelief that she has chosen to love him.

The morning brings a light smokey color to the ocean hue, sleepy waves that slowly get blinked away. The nights usually a darker sapphire, riddled with lust and want, that sparkle of mischief pulses out as he shifts, lowers and grinds. She can't actually decide which one she likes more, the smile the grows when smokey blue meet chocolate brown with the rising sun, or the drowning cobalt desire that sends them off the peak late into the night.

It used to catch her off guard, the ever changing spectrum of irises, was unnerving before she could tell what color meant what. But something is always there, regardless of the hue that swirls within, every time her eyes catch his, her heart skips about with butterfly wings, because she can see it, the honest devotion that lay in his beautiful gaze, devotion just for her, not for the Queen, or even the Mayor, but just for Regina, just for simple her. She loves his eyes, but in truth, she just loves him.


	55. Day 3 - Her Laugh

**Day 3: Her Laugh**

The first time he heard it, it was barely above a whisper, behind walls of books that muffled the sound, the glorious heart thundering sound, echoing in his soul. For days he sought it out again, desperate in need to hear it ring through the walls once more, and yet it alluded him, the corridors silent in his search. It almost appears, it rare moments, usually accompanied by his son, a small parting that escapes ever so quietly, quickly tamped down when another intrudes into the moment.

The second time he was graced with the sound, it was from his own doing, a rogue arrow lodged into the cape behind him, dastardly poking him in the back as he swirled and twirled in frenzied attempt to get it loose, less he make more a fool of himself in front of her. And yet. It had all been worth it in the end, looking like a complete incompetent idiot all for her amusement, and there it was, a soft chuckle that head his heart swelling three times in size. If a fool she needed, then a fool he would be.

It began to happen more often, in moments spared between just the two of them, his ventures into complimenting everything about her, the eyes that held him captive, the small shy smile, the unabashed comments about the way her body has him mesmerized, how he finds the sharp remarks at the naive couple rather endearing. Slowly by slowly she lets him in and he gets to hear it more and more and wishes to the stars late at night he will be allowed to hear it come the morning.

To be fair, the missing year didn't bring her much happiness, and her laugh was a rarity at best, but when they had figured out how to get _home_ as she called it, it echoed through the chambers, between thick droplets of disbelieving tears that there was a possibility she'd actually get to see her son again, he heard it, full and pure, and that was when he knew he loved her, honestly loved her.

Memories erased, and the new surroundings were difficult to deal with, the unknown of what happened, but in his nights laying in a tent, beneath the bright moon, he'd listen to it, this whisper of a noise, cemented somewhere deep in his mind, soothing his worried soul. And then he saw her, and the world tilted on it's axis, centering around her smile, gravity altered, tugging him straight into her space, and he heard it, a quiet vibration between flirtation in a dusty farmhouse, and his heart stopped.

He found the reason behind the constant lingering sound in his mind, and it was even more beautiful in reality.

And it's time like right now, when he is leaning against a wooden doorway with a mug of warm steaming coffee in his hands, watching as she curls over on the sofa, unable to catch her breath, tears lining her eyes, and she laughs, and laughs, listening to the chatter between their boys on the carpet in front, and he feels something deep in his core shake unsteadily steady. It may have taken more than a year, a few villains, and some major bumps in their road, but they've done it, together, as promised, and he now gets to revel for the rest of his days in one of his favorite things in any realm he's found her, the way she laughs.

FIN.


	56. Day 4 - The Little Things

**DAY 4: THE LITTLE THINGS**

It's like the cup of coffee that is always waiting on the counter in the kitchen when the early hours of morning break, warm and creamy but with no sugar, just sitting there for her when she is ready. Or the fact he lines their toothbrushes up side by side on the vanity, symmetrical in place, because it's how she likes them. All these small little things he does, bringing her lunch when times runs too short and he knows she hasn't eaten. The fact he's mustered up the will to learn how to text, technology confusion be damned, this was something he needed to know how to do, so she doesn't go a morning without a small message from him, a small something, that he wishes she is having a good day, hopes the Charmings aren't bugging her too terribly, that he can't wait till she gets home later on, or simply, that he loves her.

She finds it adorable, his chest puffs out and his arms tense slightly, when another man appraises her looks, his hand firmly finding her own, out of a hint of jealously, masked by fierce protection. Appreciates it far more than she can express that he doesn't feel the need to possess, just support with a small shield, knowing damn well she can take care of herself, but why should she have to anymore when he is around?

Her heart thumps happily, when she hears a chair lightly scraping the kitchen floor in the midnight hour when sleep eludes her, and she finds him sitting there, eyes still far too sleepy, but a smile none the less when she curls into his awaiting lap. And he listens, to every word she rants with, thumbing lightly across the exposed slice of skin on her waist, playing devil's advocate in moments where she knows she is getting too hot headed, and huffs aggravatedly when she is being too gentle in others. It's how he levels her, keeps perspective, and helps them both wade through the waters, together. She's not had someone like this before, to be her sounding board, take in what ails her most, heal what he can, and find the cure for those he can't do alone.

Then there are the times, she finds herself being surprised with dinner, a secret date, or a small delicately wrapped gift, because it is the anniversary of the first time he saw her, the first time he knew he loved her, the first time she said it back, all these seemingly forgotten about moments, suddenly the most important thing in her day, all for the fact that he makes them important, makes her important. Showing up unexpected at the office just for a quick kiss before he is off again, hanging her clothes in the closet by color coordination because he knows the little ticks that get her going. Loves how he finds to reason to not be touching her at all times, or fall asleep on her chest with a low slung blanket about his hips, snoring heavy in her arms where he is safe.

She adores how he flops down onto the bed, pillow flying into her lap first, before he settles, and silently begs for her nails to scratch against his scalp, making it feel like he could purr. The evenings around drinks when he get's that ridiculous dopey grin on his face, shrugging off the jests and jibes thrown his way as he stares at her, tells her and everyone around that she is beautiful, and he loves her, and she blushes every time, rolls her eyes, but always says it back, though the inevitable roasting follows. But he makes her feel loved, even in a group of hundreds or just the two of them curled up beneath the covers, it's there, in the way his fingers trace across her face, the honesty in his eyes, and his need to hold her close when sleep eventually takes over, she feels just how much he cherishes her.

It's the little things, like how he comes back into the living room after an argument he's clearly lost, sheepish and pouting, the proverbial child caught with a hand in the cookie jar, slides in beside her on the sofa, and buries his face into the crook of her neck, purposefully tickling her skin with his beard till she gives in, he asks for forgiveness, and promises to make it up to her through a muffled whisper in her hair.

Even how silly he makes himself look, involuntarily when she catches him bouncing along to a song completely off rhythm, and apparently doesn't care when he's been caught, just jives over to her as she chuckles, spins her about and into his arms, so they can dance together.

He makes her feel happy, and goofy, and all light and bubbly in the deepest crevasses.

She especially appreciates how his fingers always tend to find the knots in her neck after a long day, gently rub and soothe till she is loose limbed and jelly filled, proceeds to scoop her up into his arms and deposit her gently on their bed, incessant she needs a few minutes of shut eye, though she denies it, he sits on the mattress, curling and carding through her hair till she gives in and sleep takes over, and is there an hour later to wake her up with soft affectionate kisses to the expanse of her face.

Or like right now, when the snow is falling thick and she forgot to grab her coat this morning, not exactly thinking a flurry was about to hit, and he just shrugs off his coat, wraps it around her shoulders even if she protests, half-heartedly, because his coat is so warm, and smells like him, and makes her feel all small and dainty, his arm wrapping around her waist and holding her close as they walk slowly back home. She asks him more than once if he is cold, given that his scarf is now wrapped around her as well, but he just smiles, pressing a kiss to her forehead, and continues on their path, and she loves him just a little bit more every time he does one of these silly little things, things he probably doesn't even realize he is doing, or how much she truly adores him for it.


	57. Day 5 - Stockings

**Day 5 - Stockings**

She's had 32 Christmases in this realm, 18 by herself, and 14 with Henry, and they've been wonderful for the most part, when the fear of saviours and curse breaking wasn't looming around her, they actually didn't celebrate Christmas in the missing year, well she didn't, not really, and they were in neverland trying to find her son the Christmas before, so really it's been 12 wonderful holidays spent together.

There are certain parts of Christmas traditions she loves, decorating a tree, all twinkling bright lights, and perfectly hung colorful balls, reflecting onto the white mansion walls. She's a massive fan of garland, surprisingly, but every inch she can string the stuff onto, it's there, up the stair banister, over the fireplace, framing windows, she's a touch garland obsessive, but no one is going to tell her it's a bit much.

When Henry was younger, she adored the process of Christmas baking, has three ridiculously large books filled with recipes, and there is a small lick of pride that runs through her to the fact she's nearly perfected every single one. Gingerbread cookies are Henry's favorite, she is partial to mint chocolate thins, but won't say too a well layered nanaimo bar, and used to play fight with Henry over the peanut butter oreo cookie crumble squares.

So yes, there are definitely certain aspects to Christmas she adores, almost all of them except for one. Stockings. She loathes them. Well not them, just hers. Henry's is perfect, identical to her own, but there is just something about filling it every year with tiny little trinkets she know's he'll love. It's been a mission, for years, to ensure that his stocking it full, bursting to the seams, stuffed to the brim, and she melts watching him dig through all the small goodies, little lego's, a comic book, action figures, candy, chocolate, all of it, he loves it all, brandishes around like it's the greatest gift in the world.

But her own stocking, well, being a single mother with a young child doesn't exactly equate to a full personal stocking. It's not like Santa slides down the chimney just to fill hers. And it's pointless really, to go to the store, and buy herself little treasures, just to put them in her own stocking, and pretend to be all excited the next morning with Henry, as she pulls out self-gift after self-gift. The magic isn't there. There is no excitement in her own stocking.

For years, she would just fill it with things she already had around the house, a few pieces of jewelry from upstairs, some old lipsticks, a chocolate bar from the fridge, dumb things that Henry wouldn't even notice were already hers. Most years she just wishes she didn't have to do it, feel the obvious empty hollow hole in her heart that it was just her and Henry, not that she didn't love her son with her entire being, but still, for 12 Christmas's there always felt like a space beside her was missing.

And it's so different this time around, there is a bigger tree, more lights and baubles decorating it, the need to make extra cookies for she lives with three adorable thieves now, more presents to wrap, mistletoe hung for the first time now that she has sometime to kiss underneath it, and four stockings hanging side by side instead of two. They've explained Christmas to Robin and Roland, at least this world's' version of it, and they have taken to it like elves in Santa's workshop. Everything's magic to them, from the gingerbread houses, to paper cut out snowflakes, ribbon and bows laced together perfectly, and every holiday song they've heard, they are astounded by it, and it's made this holiday seem just a bit brighter, a bit lovelier.

It's another beautiful Christmas Eve as she walks through the house, admiring their decorations, chuckling at the size of their tree, living with forest boys surely has changed many things in the mansion. She see's Henry and Robin bent over the island in hushed conversation, her thief smirking as his hand runs through tousled hair, Henry's eyes dead set to his as they shake hands and part with a nod.

"What was that about?" She eyes Robin up, as Henry scoots out the other kitchen door. Robin jumps, turning quickly at the sound of her voice, smiling bright and tugging her into his arms, "Nothing my love, just boy talk."

"Is everything alright?"

"Better than ever."

He's hiding something, she can see it in his blue eyes, the mischief that sparkles within them, but his fingers are playing with her hair on the nape of her neck, massaging lightly, and it feels so good she could purr, decides in the moment that as long as no one is in trouble she can fold herself into his embrace, does so, and lets him sway her back and forth slightly.

"Roland is asleep yeah?"

She hums, brushing her nose along the warm of his skin in the crook of his neck, inhaling the spiced woodsy flavour of him, "Out like a light."

"He's quite excited for Santa tomorrow."

"As he should be."

"You spoiled him, you know."

Regina shrugs, closing her eyes, focusing on the way his hands run up and down her back, the light christmas music from the den singing quietly out, and maybe she has spoiled them this year, if the amount of wrapped gifts under the tree is any indication all the shops in storybrooke should be empty thanks to the mayor's shopping list, but who cares, certainly not her, and clearly not Roland and Henry who are vibrating in excitement over Christmas morning to come, and she has clearly seen the amusement in Robin's eyes, the curiosity as she shoos him out the room to wrap his gifts.

"We should do the stockings." She mumbles, not really ready to relinquish their position, but it's late and she is tired, has a _special_ gift for Robin to unwrap upstairs, and if they don't get a move on, she is going to fall asleep before they can even get started. He seems to understand, feel her exhaustion as he chuckles, pressing a kiss to her temple, "Why don't you go to sleep and I'll do them."

"I'm fine, honestly, let's go, you have an early present upstairs to get to."

She smiles as Robin pulls back, confused until she stands up on her tip toes, brushing her lips lightly across his own, grinning as he follows her mouth when she leans back.

"Stockings first…then you can unwrap your present."

"Is my present you by chance?"

"Maybe."

He groans, dips down to find the soft skin behind her ear with his lips, "Is it red?"

"It might be." She swallows as his hands grip tighter around her waist.

"Silk or lace?"

"Both."

She loves this, how much she can rile him up with a few choice words and well purchased pieces of lingerie, "and a bow."

"What?"

"Well I told you that I was your present, but you still have to unwrap me."

His eyes flash dark, "Stockings now." He slaps her behind, grinning at the little squeal that escaped before her eyes roll, pushing herself off him, "Come on thief." They've decided to fill the boy's stockings together, and each others alone, much to Robin's request, and it's the first time she won't know what's in her own stocking come morning, and the way he'd smiled and slipped away with the red velvet ornament had her stomach swirling with butterflies.

And it's with that, Robin and her two boys' stockings full, she slips upstairs, undressing from today, and dressing back into something more _festive_ , for her lover. He's not far behind her, and they are melted into each other within moments.

.

..

.

Christmas morning brings a lingering tingle in her thighs, and a very happy sleep grin on Robin's face as she kisses him awake, they have pancakes to make. It's no sooner that he has rolled her over that they hear the commotion of children outside their door, hollering for them to get up, because "it's Christmas!", and "Santa came!", and they "have to wake up!". Robin goes first, grumbling about that he should have asked for an extra hour in bed for Christmas, and she chuckles, promising she'll make it up to him later, following him into the bathroom before heading down the stairs, and she freezes.

Where four stockings had been hung the night before, there is now three large ones full to the brim, and 32 little ones, tiny red velvet miniatures strug about her fireplace, all with her name embroidered on the white stitching, and a number beside.

"Merry Christmas my love." Robin's arms wrap around her waist, as she figures out how to breathe again, leaning back into him heavy, bewildered.

"I don't understand. What is all this?"

He kisses her cheek gently, nuzzling into her hair with a happy hum, "Well Henry mentioned that you have never had a stocking."

She frowns, turning slightly to find his eyes, "I had one every year with him…"

"Because you gave yourself one. From what I understand, you have never had a stocking given to you."

"Henry knew?"

"He's a perceptive lad."

Her heart half sinks at the realization she hadn't really fooled him, and half soars at just how much she loves her family. "So, he and I, with the help of a little merry man, we have rectified that."

"You gave me 32 stockings?"

"For every year I wasn't here to give you one, with a gift in each."

"You didn't have to do that." She flushes, because it's far too much, to do all this for her, when Christmas is supposed to be for them

"I know." Robin squeezes his arms tighter around her, hugging her back into his chest, "That's why I did. I wanted to make your Christmas just as special as you've made ours."

She melts, "Robin."

"I just wish you to be happy my love, always."

And when all 32 little red stockings are placed around her, she doesn't find herself really going through them, did obviously, had wiped away tears and smiled bright with each and every little surprise deposited inside, but it stirs in the pit of her stomach, as she watches her family digging through their own, and it feels so different this time, maybe because for the first time, Christmas feels right, no more vacant empty spaces beside her, and maybe, after this year, stockings will be added to her list of loveable traditions, something new and unexpected that makes her truly and honestly happy.


	58. Day 6: Queen's Don't Snuggle

**Day 6: A Queen Does Not Cuddle.**

Robin is a man of the forest, has been his entire life, born in the summer and bred through the winter. Knows how to weather the storms, pull a fire together in the midst of thunder showers, and understands which fur or foliage provides the best warmth and insulation on the long chilled frosty nights. There isn't much that can truly shake him, no weather pattern sent that sends shivers along his skin, freezes his digits and ices his lungs. He's warm blooded, a personal furnace against the elements.

And it appears, he is no longer a space heater for one any longer. Hasn't been for quite some time since a certain Queen fell from the sky and landed in the middle of his heart. She will deny it to her dying day, she is not a cuddler, but Robin knows better. He loves feeling her body inch closer to his under a thicket of covers, her hands curling up his chest, toes tucking between his calves, the heavy breath that follows as she sinks into his heat, cozy and happy. And still she insists she is not a snuggle type, doesn't mind a bit of touching, but that's it. He has his side of the bed, and she has hers.

And usually it starts off that way, he watches silently as she thumbs through a book, glasses resting low on her nose, a lip caught between teeth when things are getting interesting in the plot, knees hiked up to her chest, hair loosely hung around her shoulders. She's a picture to him. Some nights he will nuzzle in close, leaning his head against her shoulder, rubbing a hand along the expanse of her exposed thigh, a moment of thanks to the gods sent for the _sleep wear_ , his love slips into at night. She lets him, sinks down a bit lower so he can curls an arm around her waist under the covers, combs through his tousled sandy brown hair till he is near dead asleep in her lap and then she shifts, gently rolling him over to his own pillow, before huddling down into hers.

Because she isn't a cuddler. Queen's don't cuddle. Mayors don't cuddle. And Regina most certainly is not a cuddler. It's become a running joke around their house now. She denies and he proclaims. Like now, sitting around the fireplace, he is shaking his head with a chuckle, brushing back her hair as she stares incredulously at him.

"I was not using you as a blanket, Robin."

"My love, I beg to differ."

"So I rolled over in my sleep and was closer to you."

"Regina, you were laying across me."

"No I wasn't!"

He laughs again, pressing a kiss to her cheek though she scowls anyway. It's not a big deal, that she refuses to admit he is her heater at night. It's perfectly fine during the day that she snuggles up to him, lets his warmth wrap her up like a hug, uses his stomach as a warming pad for her chilled fingers, presses a frozen nose into the crook of his neck. He's not entirely sure why the night admission has to be any different. It's not like he cares, in complete honesty, he prefers it when she is tucked into him, lying half across his chest, a leg between his own, arm over his collar, face buried into his pillow. He likes feeling her.

"Why does it matter if we cuddle at night or not?"

"Because I don't do that. I have never been one for it."

"Regina." He arches pointedly at her.

"Robin." She deftly scowls back.

It's fine. He knows she will refute in the day, and slink over to him later tonight when she is asleep.

"Maybe you're the one who cuddles."

"And you just let me?"

Regina rolls her eyes, sipping the spiced whiskey, tucking the blanket between her thighs as her back rests against his chest.

"Perhaps you're afraid of the dark, I am simply protecting you."

"From the boogeyman under the bed?"

"It's possible."

His arms curl around her waist, settling her in a fraction closer, "Is this a double front of sorts? Your way of telling me your scared of monsters in the closet and I am being used as a shield."

Regina snorts, "As if." but lets his legs hug the outside of her own, and there it is, her little cocoon he creates that she slumbers within. "Perchance it is because you are always ungodly cold and I am the only way to keep you from getting hypothermia?"

"I'm not always cold."

"Love, your toes, cute as they may be, are like ice cubes at best."

She huffs her feet under the cushion, because they are tingling from the cold, and her apparently god awful circulation, and that's not her fault that being close to Robin is like clutching to a hot water bottle when deserted in the arctic.

"Just admit that you like to cuddle me at night."

"Never."

He can hear her grinning, and it doesn't matter, he has a plan to put this whole thing to rest once and for all, so for now he lets it go, swallows down his own whiskey and settles in the couch, letting the light christmas melody jingle out from the den. He has to admit, she looks stunning bathed in the sparkle of christmas lights on the tree, it makes her skin glow and eyes shine, and Robin is a complete sucker for her.

"We should go to bed. The boys will be up early tomorrow."

She nods, nestling into him for a moment, before letting a breath go that blows out the fire with her magic, and he follows her from the steps, down the hall and into their room, watches enamoured as she changes from a purple blouse and black pencil skirt, into a dark midnight blue slip, leaving majority of her olive skin open for his perusal. "You know, if you wore warmer clothes to bed perhaps you wouldn't feel the need to _not_ snuggle me." He grins, that dumb stupid grin she adores, his shirt and pants now shed, leaving him in only black briefs as he climbs underneath the covers.

"Somehow I don't think a flannel onesie would be very sexy."

"I don't know, I think you'd look lovely in polar fleece."

She leans over, kisses him goodnight, and curls over into her side of the bed, sighing sleepily.

"I'm here when you get chilly."

"Shut up and go to sleep Thief."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

He waits for a good part of an hour, biting back his smile as he feels the first movement from her, a tiny little slide closer, her fingers grazing his forearm, and he knows come morning, his pillow and his body heat will be shared.

.

..

…

He wakes up, at the crack of dawn, bursting at the seams that he was right, as per usual with this, and Regina is completely slung across him, breathing heavy into his skin, arms completely wrapped about his shoulders, a leg squeezed between his own, her body leaching his heat.

Perfect.

Fumbling quietly for a moment, his eyes cast down as he grasps his phone, a smirk pulling across as she barely moves, sinks even further down if that was possible. And it's all the proof he needs, angling the phone camera up above the bed, ensuring he gets the entirety of her "not snuggling" with a cheeky smile himself. For a second, he stares at the photo, and his heart skips about like wildfire, because she is beautiful and he looks far too happy in the picture. Sliding it back onto his nightstand, his fingers comb through her hair and he lets himself indulge in a few more hours of sleep before the chaos of another day starts.

He has evidence now.

.

..

...

Regina stirs, brushing her nose along his shoulder, shifting slightly so her back can pop and release, as she blinks sleepily one, twice, three times, and thank god he is still asleep and hasn't realized the fact she is completely invading his space...again...like every single damn night. It's not that she cares, but for whatever deep seeded reason, it taunts her, this incessant need to be close to him, to hold and touch him at all times, even in her sleep, it makes her feel far too dependant, vulnerable, something she has tried to avoid her entire life.

And yet, efforts be damned, here she is again, shuffling back a few inches so he won't wake with her laying ontop of him, and she can keep a shred of dignity she knows she doesn't actually need, at least not with him. He's told her a hundred times, he likes to cuddle her, to be her "big spoon" as he has heard on television shows, wants to feel her pressed up against him, but she just rolls her eyes, and deflects the insinuations.

His phone buzzes, and he looks so damn serene and peaceful she is loathe to let anyone but herself wake him right now. It's saturday, they can call back later. Moving slowly, she reaches across him, thumbing off the light ringing, and the device opens, and her heart stills.

He took a picture. Bloody outlaw. And she could be irritated, but the smile plastered on his face in the photo has her stomach flipping about in butterflies and her own smile tugging at her lips. True to his word and her own knowledge, she is sandwiched into him, her face nearly shielded by a curtain of hair, tucked into his neck, arms curled about his torso, half his body covered by her own. She loves this frozen moment in time of them, wants to kiss him silly for capturing it, but he is going to blackmail her with it, prove that she in fact does use and abuse his heat at night, though they both know she just likes being near him, temperature be damned. Her palm ghosts over top the phone, letting a purple puff bloom and disintegrate. She lays the phone back down on his side table, and slides off the bed and into the bathroom.

It's not till she is down in the kitchen making coffee that she hears him, well feels his arms wrap about her first, and then his low timbered voice tickling against her cheek as he bids her good morning with a kiss, and settles into the chair with a mug in hand. He is looking at her curiously, amused at something.

"What?"

"You erased the picture."

Oh Damn, he figured that out already did he? Well, he can't prove it. "I have no idea what you are talking about." She smirks, turning back to the pancakes, flipping them over, mentally high fiving herself for the golden browned outside that appears. She hears the chair slide across the wood floors, his showered fresh pine smell invading her once more as he leans against the counter. She's not going to give in, no matter how cute his dimpled handsome face is.

"Alright."

"Alright?"

"You don't have to admit it."

"I have nothing to admit."

He laughs, kisses her cheek, and turns to walk out the kitchen, and she flourishes because she won, there is no photo evidence of her snuggling him, he can't prove it, and she comes out on top. Her own phone rings beside her, and it's Henry, which is odd, because he should be upstairs still asleep, not texting her at 8 in the morning on a Saturday. She punches her passcode in quickly, thumbs about to find his text, and - _That idiot._

It's under a smiley face emoji, and a ridiculous message about how "he knew she was a cuddler." and the picture Robin took this morning, the evidence and proof, staring back up at her. His chuckle from behind her has her spinning around, glaring heatedly, spatula in hand, not exactly a menacing tool, but there is no time for that.

She glowers, stalking towards him, pancake batter dripping from her utensil, and he just stands there, smiling, arms crossed over his chest. "You sent it to Henry."

His smile brightens, his teeth biting down into his lip, in a way that swells this urge inside her to pluck it out with her own teeth and kiss him senseless, but now it not the time, she has an _Evil_ scowl to work on. One which apparently has lost all it's gusto as he simply grins and shrugs, "Well, I simply know you better than you think."

"What's that supposed to mean." She steps into his space, toe to toe, arched eyebrow and all.

"I knew you'd delete the photo the second you saw it, I had to text it out before it was erased."

His cheek is smacked with batter, cold and sticky, his _Hey!_ gone completely unanswered as she pokes him in the chest, "You're an idiot."

"Ah, but I am an idiot who has outsmarted the Queen."

"I hate you." She grumbles as his finger swipes through the white substance on his cheek, bopping her affectionately on the nose, and she looks adorable, trying her best to scowl at him whilst holding her plastic weapon and pancake battered nose.

"I think you rather adore me." He kisses off the breakfast smear, and goes to get dressed, smiling the whole way.

"Robin?"

"Yes, My Love."

"You said text it out…"

He is about to answer, when her phone buzzes again, and she is going to kill him when Snow White's name appears...and so does that bloody photo, with six little hearts attached an a nauseating " _awwwww she's so cute_." lining the bottom.

He's dead meat.

Or at least would be, if she didn't love him and need her nightly furnace...and her beloved however apparently not to secret big spoon. Whatever, at least he doesn't know she likes to listen to him sing in the shower yet.


	59. Day 7 - Rain Wash

**Day 7: Rain Wash**

Well, he's never claimed that living in the forest doesn't have it's own setbacks, minor ones, but ones that are much more apparent in this new world, where snow freezes over the lakes and ices the rivers. It wouldn't be an issue in the Enchanted Forest or Sherwood, it never got cold enough there for this to be a problem. So when he slowly makes his way up to the pristine white mansion, with it's white walls, white carpet, white couch, an absolute magnet for the sludge dark brown dirt that clings to his shoes and pants currently, it's with hesitation that he approaches.

And it's not really his fault, as his hands do their best to bat away the grime, but the sudden unexpected flurry of snow had completely eradicated the lake they'd been using as a wash basin back at the Merry Men's camp, stealing their way of cleaning, hence, his rather dirty appearance currently. He's never quite felt more out of place than he does right now, as he rings the doorbell and prays to the high gods that she won't mind. She will. He knows she will. But still he prays.

The door swings open, and her smile falters for only a second as she takes him in, and then it's back, and she looks almost giddy and amused, arching a thin eyebrow high as she chews on her lower lip, biting back a laugh he hadn't seen coming. Irritation, or exasperation was more where his mind was headed, but she is beaming at him, bright and bubbling, his heart fluttering about merrily in his chest as she slides closer, leaning on her tip toes, fingertips pressed against his chest, leaving ample space between his muddy shirt and pants and her pristine tailored silk blouse and skirt, but close enough to press a sweet kiss hello to his lips and he can't honestly help but grin back at her, reveling in the honey apple smell that seems to cling to her skin, a stark contrast to the stale grit he is certain hugs him tight.

Her voice is smooth, silk and warm against his lips as she mumbles "Run out of water in the forest, Thief?"

He snorts, shakes his head, replies honestly "The lake froze over." and kisses her once more before she steps back, a light flush on her cheeks, pink and pretty. With a happy hum and nods the white wooden swings further open, allowing his disheveled self inside the immaculate mansion, "Boots outside Locksley." She smirks, sways her hips just a little extra, knowing his eyes will follow.

And he does, watches the way her calves flex underneath sheer black tights, roaming up the skirt that clings sinfully around her body and is a bit confused when his eyes follow her to the stairs instead of the kitchen or couch like he'd assumed they'd be spending their afternoon in. But no matter, he shucks off his dirt spattered shoes and closes the door behind him. She is halfway up the steps, back to him, though her head is tilted enough to arch a mischievous eyebrow at him, and he has always like mischief.

He's only been in her room a handful of times, they are still new to this whole soulmate relationship thing, and while he is quite confident there is none other he is willing to even gander at, he wants to ensure there is no pressure for her. They go at her pace, let the reins be in her hands, though he is there every step, just in case she needs some reassurance. So yes, he's been in her bedchambers, is a happy camper every time she allows him in and between the silk sheets, the current situation no different as his feet hit the plush crystal white carpet. But he doesn't find her deposited on the expansive mattress per his last few times here, nor on the cream and ruby chaise in the corner he has grown rather fond of, given the unique angle he can acquire on his knees and her laying down.

"Come on grubby."

He hears her call from the bathroom, a sanctuary he has yet to venture into, and it's larger than anticipated, a white granite vanity, with a massive silver bordered mirror, all her dainty colored bottles, perfectly lined up smallest to largest, a small thing to which he grins over. The tub is across from him, set higher than the white stone floor, golden claw feet, anchoring the colossal basin that surely could fit both of them with a fair bit of space. His throat tightening as he see's her bending over into another stone space, square and wide, granite on all three of its four walls, the later has a glass sheet. It's odd, but he's fascinated by her fiddling with some silver knob before turning back around in that gift from god skirt, smiling in that way that has his stomach flipping in butterflies, a stiffening lower down.

It's when her hands press once again to his chest he realizes he hasn't actually said anything yet, had been a bit too dumbstruck by her beauty and the change in location, and he suddenly feels like a school boy all over again, a flush running through his cheeks, warm and tingly when she looks him in the eyes through those thick lashes. A breathy _Hi_ is apparently all he can muster, which is ridiculous, but she laughs as he frowns at himself, arching up to her tip toes once more to kiss him gently, her own whispered _Hi_ , is doing far too many sinful things to his body than a single word should be allowed.

He goes back into dumbstruck mode as she pushes his vest off, hanging it on the door hook, uncurls his scarf, it goes on another hook, and then slowly and torturously she beings to undo his green flannel shirt, button by button, popping the little plastic circles, and all he can do is stare down at her, clenching and flexing his hands at his sides, he doesn't dare touch her still, all he does is watch. Watch as she smiles and hums, bites down on that plump red lip of hers, and slide the shirt off his shoulders, leaving him in just a white undershirt she quickly disposes of as well.

Surely she can feel how quick his heart is beating under her palm that runs along his torso, the thundering pulsing erratic theme it dances to, and she has to know, because she is blushing, which usually only happens when she is focused on how much he loves her, his heart proving that, as words continue to fail him. He can't help but grin at her, as nails trace along his body, between his chest, down the groove that leads low, the V at his hips, her eyes entranced for a steady minute by her wandering exploration. He stills, breath hitches, when she toys with the button of his jeans, sliding it open, and surely she heard his groan that escaped as she tugs his zipper down, unveiling is unrelenting want for her. And he does want her. Terribly so. Achingly so as the denim falls and pools at his feet, her thumbs hooking into the black elastic waistband of his last stitch of clothing, her eyes locking into his, dark and heated, with a greedy smile and arch in her eyebrow as she slides them down, his long exhale matched by her sharp inhale. He swallows hard, she licks her lips, and he thinks he is probably the luckiest sod in the entire world.

"In you go." She pats his bare backside, turns him devastatingly away from her body and into the odd stone and glass area. He pouts, giving his best puppy dog eyes, but she knows his son, and has had one of her own, the sad begging does nothing to her, at least not from him, sometimes, now apparently is one of those times, and she chuckles, swats him one more time, and forces him inside.

It must be some kind of washing station, there is a silver spout the can at least figure is part of it, but there are three more along the wall, a fourth above his head, and that is more than confusing. "This is the tap, left is cold, right is hot, be careful, it's a bit finicky." He frowns at the silver knob, glancing between it and the spouts around him and Regina who leans against the stone side. She must sense his bewilderment.

"It's called a shower."

"A shower?"

"Mhmmm, it's like rain, but it can be warm, and it's faster than a bath."

"Hot Rain? That's different." He smiles sheepishly, because there is so much in this new world that baffles him, too many things to learn and understand, and he isn't exactly the type to let something undiscovered just pass him by, he must know all the inner workings, the tiniest details of the smallest things, and he'd be embarrassed by his over abundant amount of curiosity, but she is there, laughing lightly, kisses his cheek and does her best to answer every who, what, when, where and a thousand and one why's.

He loves her for it. Loves the patience she has with him. But more than that, he loves the little seed of mischief that bubbles to her surface every now and again. He see's that glint, goes to question what she is planning, and then it hits him, warm water, splashing at him from four different angles, his stunned _Hey!_ muffled out by her giggle, as she shuts the taps off, leaving him standing half soaked, hair matted against his forehead and eyes wide.

"Seemed easy to show you this time rather than explain it." She laughs, and it's a beautiful sound and her eyes are bright and happy, and it has him cracking up alongside. "Okay, just one this time." He nods as her hand swings the tap again and the highest front spout pours out. He lets the water pool in his hands, slip between his fingers, and it's rather incredible.

"How long does it last?"

"The water?"

He nods, stepping into the stream. His question left unanswered which is strange, and when he turns to ask again, he see's her eyes blown wide open, dark and sparkling as she gapes at his body, enthralled by the little lines the water cuts along his shoulders, down his torso, diagonal down his hips and spiralling his thighs. Well at least he isn't the only one affected by the other's presence.

"Regina?"

"What?"

Robin chuckles, dipping his head under the water flow, letting it soak and soothe out tired muscles, "How long do these rain washes last for?" It takes her a half second to find her words, the urge to run her hands down his stomach plaguing her mind instead of helping form a damn sentence. "It uh, it doesn't."

"Never?"

"Huh? No-uh, eventually the hot water tank will run out, but I can shower for a good 30 minutes before that happens."

He hums, chews on the information, and returns to the warmth of the new wonderment he's been introduced to.

"Here."

She hands him a red bottle, and he can't stop the dimples from popping as he smiles playfully at her, "Forest Pine Body Wash? I thought you didn't like my forest smell." She huffs out a breath, swatting his arm that isn't under the water, rolling her eyes though she blushes, "Well it's this or you can smell like apples and honey."

"That's what you use?"

"Mhmm."

"I rather like how you smell."

His comment has heat flooding through her, a lick of sweat pooling behind her neck, and it's not from the shower steam.

"Shut up, and use what I give you."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

There's that flush of heat again, between her thighs and in her stomach, brewing hot and wanting as he grins that stupidly ridiculous heart racing dimpled smile at her, taking the bottle from her hands and squirting a generous amount into his palm, and if she doesn't leave him be she is going to jump him here and now, clothes on herself be damned, they can be dry cleaned. But she really likes this blouse, wants to wear it later, "I'll grab you a towel." she steps back, away from the glorious sex on two legs of a man in her shower right now, and surely she has other shirts she could wear, hell she has magic, with a wave of her palm she could have a second one ready to go.

He could certainly get used to this rain washer, it's a hell of a lot better than running into a chilled lake, scrubbing furiously before skin freezes, no, this is fantastic, he could spend hours in this contraption, sudsing himself up, and rinsing off over and over again, it's - it's her, her hands to be more specific, landing on his back, and if the water is warm, it is nothing compared to the heat that radiates from her as she steps closer, and by the Gods, he is a lucky lucky man, his heart swooping as he feels her press up against him, a mental count in need in order to control himself. And he does, counts to three cause that's really all he can muster when her hands begin to trail around his hips and up his chest, her lips landing on the back of his neck, a hum vibrating through him at the sound of her voice "I take it you like the shower?"

He turns, damn near just about falls down, because she is standing in front of him, hair swung up into a messy clip, body magnificently naked, and it's not like he hasn't had the pleasure of seeing her like this before, but the way the water droplets speckle her skin, land and slide along her curves, it's rendered him speechless, astonished that she isn't a figment of his imagination.

"Here." A purple fluffy thing is passed over her shoulder, followed by a yellow bottle, and he takes them both, squeezes the creamy substance onto the purple mesh, and it smells of apples and honey, and he salivates over it and stares at the shameless seductive smile that etches across her lips, the subtle wink she sends his way.

"You can touch me now."

He gapes at her, feeling the air leave his lungs and blood pool out of his brain, heading due south, as she turn her back to him, perfectly silky smooth olive skin dotted with freckles, his eyes scouring the impeccable sculpture that stands in front of him, his gentleman's chivalry be damned as his eyes drop lower to the rounded backside his fingers itch to grab.

Has he mentioned he's a lucky bastard?

And if he was fond of the rain washer, well, nothing compares to being joined underneath the warm falling water with her.


	60. Day 8 - The Grinch

**Day 8: Red Nose, Light Bulbs, and Wool**

Just because everyone else in the town is doing it, doesn't mean that she has too. It doesn't matter how many times she's been pressed about it, begged to part-take and been thrown puppy dogs eyes and jabbing remarks, she said no, and no means no. They can still do it. She has no issue with that, except for how ridiculous they all look, but that's their problem not hers.

Snow couldn't change her mind, with doey green eyes and a bright hopeful smile, Regina said no. Emma couldn't change her mind, with sharp remarks and a sarcastic poke, Regina said hell no. Robin had no such luck either, going as far as promising things that children aren't allowed to hear in return for her participation, she still squared her shoulders and refused. Even Henry, who groaned and moaned and pleaded that she join in, it wasn't happening. She was a Queen and Queen's are much more refined than this absurd "tradition" that has only started this year.

She loves Christmas, everything about it, the snow sprinkled over trees and shops, bright rainbow lights decorating every last inch of the town. She's even acquired a taste for a select few Christmas carols, and adores shopping and wrapping gifts to perfection. So why they are all constantly bugging her about this one single thing, well it's starting to chap her right off.

"Mom, everyone is going to be there, and you are going to be the only one not wearing a sweater." Henry huffs through his snowman shaped chocolate chip pancakes, and _this_ is an actual tradition for her. Cooking her son Christmas Day breakfast for lunch. It's their little thing, just between the two of them, and now Roland and Robin obviously, but Henry hasn't been the slightest bit put out with the extra plates and syrup dished out.

"I'll wear a sweater." She chides back, sipping her black coffee, with a smirk. "In fact I have a lovely blue one I was planning on."

"That not what I meant, and you know it." He gripes back, scowling at her as he stabs another piece of bacon, huffing and puffing with each bite, and she wants to laugh and poke fun over how bent out of shape he is over this whole " _Ugly Christmas Sweater"_ thing she has said she will not be partaking in. She's done her duty as mom, has taken them all shopping for the atrocious garments they insisted on having for Christmas Dinner, she ooed and awed sarcastically as they picked them out, rolling her eyes as their shopping became a competition for who could find the worst.

Robin wins. At least in her opinion.

Henry's is a white, with a blue koala stitched across the chest, a velvet santa hat on and lights that turn on strung about his furry neck, the green inscription "Have a Koala-ty Christmas" had made her laugh in all honesty.

Roland's is red, with a green T-Rex on the front, a blinking star on his head, lights wrapped about his body, and poorly wrapped presents about the dinosaurs feet, all stitched underneath a bold white "TREE-REX" that makes Roland giggle every time.

So yes, her boys both look adorable, ridiculous attire be damned, they are cute, and she loves them.

Robin's on the other hand...is cringe worthy in it's pun that matches his cheeky dimpled grin. It's gray, the only thing subdue about it. The front, is white, with scantily clad Santa and elf embroidered across it, the white bearded man's finger on the smaller ones nose, and the sparkling red and green words "When I think about you, I touch my Elf!" scrolled about the wool. Where she had been mortified when he grabbed it, Robin laughed, hard, to the point he couldn't catch his breath, and when Regina demanded he put it back, his retort of "Too bad Your Majesty." had her gaping shocked he dare defy her.

There is no way she is going to stand next to him with that atrocity on, she's not doing it, and that's that. She's going to Christmas Dinner, with their entire family, and apparently everyone else in town, has personally cooked about 12 apple pies from scratch, and they are just going to have to get over the fact she isn't going to show up with some absurd christmas pun sweater.

And it's not till later, when they finally make it to City Hall where the dinner is being set up, that the full fruition of this foolish nonsensical "tradition" is thrown full blown at her. There isn't a place she can look that doesn't have something blinking, or lighting up in a flurry of color and garland. Most are wearing either Santa hats or reindeer antler headbands, her band of outlaws are no different, and she conceded to a little mistletoe headband, dainty and completely appropriate.

"I had high hopes you'd change your mind you know." Snow saddles up beside her, chuckling alongside David at Robin's goofy sweater, the Charmings matching in Mr and Mrs. Clause red jumpers complete with buttons, belts and apron. It passes over Regina that they look cute, matching like that, it's oddly adorable.

There is probably twelve christmas tree sweaters that light up, three or four with reindeer, a few idiots (Robin included) have rather inappropriate puns on theirs, Will Scarlets "Let's Get Baked" with a gingerbread man, is apparently hysterical to everyone else who know just how much the merry man likes his wild dagga plants. Hook's has a reindeer in a Santa outfit dancing around a candy cane suggestively, and it goes on from there. And Regina actually finds herself chuckling at some of the attire, and they have no idea what is in store. She heard about a week ago this "Ugly Sweater" Tradition was going to be somewhat of a competition, where the best, most tacky jumper would win a prize of sorts, and while she doesn't always let her competitive side out, she also hates losing.

It had come from Roland actually, watching one of Henry's favorite movies one night, where a green furry creature had worn the tackiest christmas sweater and crown she'd ever seen. And while they may call her the Grinch in jest, they had no idea just how far she was willing to go.

"I'll be right back okay." She presses a quick kiss to Robin's cheek, leaving him and his whiskey with David and August, and slips behind the crowd and behind the curtain. This is either the best idea she has ever had, or the mortification will follow her for years to come, she prays it's the first.

She groans pulling the white furry sweater from her purse, the red sparkly ribbon twirling up the sleeves with attached green balls, blinking yellow bulbs in the "Ho Ho Ho" line the entire bottom hem, the tree neon green, lined with sparkly emerald garland, massive flashing red ornaments sporadic about it, the off center yellow star on top, blindingly bright, and the scribbled bubble letters "I LOVE XMAS" roaring across the tree.

It's awful, something she would never be caught dead in, is completely loathed to shrug it on but this is a special circumstance, as are the green tights she pulls on, and red slippers, white fur lined, and topping it all off with the gaudy wreath as her new hair piece, with a tiny little mistletoe hanging above the center of her forehead.

They wanted festive, well she is going to give them festive.

With a final mental pep talk in the mirror over how ridiculous she looks, how absurd the once Evil Queen looks, she exits the bathroom door, head high and stalks straight into the middle of the floor, ornaments on her sleeves jingling, the mistletoe swinging about happily. She can hear the gasps, the hushed "Good Lord!" from a certain few she passes by, even the snorts and bit back laughter as she hits the center of the festivity. And everyone is stunned silent, and for a minute a flush of nerves betrays her, with all these eyes staring, but then she see's their, happy hazel, button brown, and baby blue, and the preposterous nature of this entire ordeal suddenly doesn't seem so silly after all as Roland waltz's up to her, gaping wide eyed, a flicker of a smile tugging at his dimples.

"I like your sweater Gina!"

She smiles, picks him up on her hip and nuzzles his cheek affectionately, before whispering "Want to see something even better?"

He nods, giggling in excitement, and she swallows, cause here goes nothing.

"Push this button."

She points to the red one on the sweaters collar, holding her breath self-consciously as his little chubby fingers move down. She hears the collective gasps, the stunned minute of silence and then the entire hall echoes in laughter, loudest of all Roland in her arms. The entire garment is completely lit up, from the sparkling white lights that trail up and down in pretty lines in the white fur, to the green jingling ornaments and lopsided tree. Even the velvet letters, flash and pulse erratically, and the star on top blinks in tune with the sudden Jingle Bells carol chiming out from the "HO HO HO" hem of the sweater, a personal addition she added, for if she was going to look this absurd, she mine as well go all the way in.

"Regina wins hands down!"

And it didn't really matter who won, but there is a lick of pride that burst in her stomach, and if she had to stoop to making fun of herself, well, Roland's laugh soothes the thought of embarrassment anyway.


	61. You Said You Loved Him Too Part 2

**You Said You Loved HIm Too**

 **Part 2**

She knew the second it happened. Can pinpoint it down the most finite moment she felt something eternally shift inside her, ice through veins, scalding hot about her heart. A fraction in time there was no breath to be inhaled, only a sharp stab, a blinding pain that engulfed her whole, and just as quickly as it had happened, a cold cool balm soothed every last inch, melting the wound away. Invisible to the eye now, that's all that it would be. A stitched together golden thread on a dark as night heart, that still beneath it all pulsed a dull ruby red, proof that not everything is black and white, that while _Evil_ may come first in her name, she did the right thing, did a good thing, a selfless thing.

It was hazy as she came back too, blinking at the flickering of orange candle light on the cold stone walls, everything tilted on it's axis as she righted herself from the dusty floor, coughing irritated at the puff of dirt, and the dull throbbing at the back of her skull. Clearly when _it_ happened, she lost consciousness, not completely unrealistic given what she gave up. Her spine cracked and popped, crunched joints being gratefully set straight upon sitting up, a faint metallic taste coated her tongue. A little warning next time might be nice.

And then she waited. For what seemed like an eternity. Has been waiting in the recessed depths of the vault, behind hidden doors and masked mirrors, the constant twitching in her fingers becoming the only movement inside the stone walls. She promised. Gave her word that if it worked she would bring him here. In a surreal moment of vulnerability she had looked into her own eyes, in the body of another, ones that were so desperate in their need, and let her long standing guard slip, to the only person who truly understood how much effort it took to keep it up. The moment her softer half left, she panicked. Sat, jaw agape on the wooden chest for hours, hand over her thunderous erratic heart, in shock of what she had just done, how exposed and raw she'd let herself stoop down to.

And more times that she will ever admit, she scrambled to her feet, raced up the stone stairs, defiantly ready to take back what was hers, and yet, every time she pushed open the cold hard oak wood doors and saw what lay beyond just to the right, the name emblazoned on the dark silver granite, her feet stopped moving forward, and the Queen retreated back into her hiding.

So she waits. For how long she isn't actually certain. Just stares through the black spiralling mirror into the vacant room just beyond. Everything feels empty. The walls no longer have a fleeting of warmth or strange previous comfort to them. It feels like a jail cell. Perhaps a more luxurious one, what with the fur blankets that adorn a soft mattress, and a fire however cold roaring in the corner, it's a prison nonetheless. One she has put herself into. One she has grown to utterly hate.

Maybe that's why she did it. Offered up a part of her soul in a feeble heart driven attempt that maybe, just maybe, he would walk down those steps one more time. But as the minutes tick by and the earlier prickling in her heart subsides, only loneliness seems to reclaim its space one again. A flare of rage surges through her. What is supposed to happen if it worked? What did she even expect? That he would chose her over her other half? Possibly he would run into her arms instead? Kiss her till her knees went weak and they would vanish together and live what? _Happily ever after?_ She wants to kick herself for even believing in the notion, a fool's trap. She isn't a fool. Fools do things like this, crazy reaches for hope that isn't there. All for what? For love? Love that surely won't be returned. How could it? She is who she is, and he won't chose her. No one chooses her. Ever.

Her fingers tear at the tiny threads on the hem of her dress, slowly and deliberately pulling the garment at her wrist apart, parting the dark plum silk and black lace till her skin reveals itself. He liked this dress. Had told her many nights ago, as he gently disposed her of it, halting her ravenous appetite to rip it apart just so she could feel him sooner. His hands had closed upon her own, a light vibrating chuckle in the crook of her neck as he whispered his request that he be the one to take it off her. Her skin shivers at the memory. How delicate he undid the laces on her back, dragged the zipper down torturously slow, his lips following the path of newly exposed skin. He said the color brought out her eyes, made them sparkle with flecks of gold, a sentiment she had scoffed at, though her blush was hidden behind a curtain of curls. He'd even laid it gently across her white chaise as she lay back on the bed, squirming impatiently for his attentions, giving her that heart stumbling dimpled smile over words he wished to see her wear it again sometime, it's one of his favourites.

She stares down at the gap between material, suddenly annoyed she had minutely destroyed it. And in the second her palm glows lavender, another odd revelation she'd come to notice the first nights outside Regina's body, a sight that silently made her smile, for maybe it didn't matter they were two separate people, _Good vs Evil_ , there was still love buried deep down in her heart, an echo pulls her attention from the tattered threads.

It's slow, a steady scratch of granite on stone above her, a flame igniting in her hand, defence at the ready for she is in no mood to be toyed with right now, and she counts, glares at the mirror whilst doing so, _one, two,_ she rises to her feet, _three, four,_ the pit of anger boiling in her stomach, _five, six, sev-_ Oh God. Ice cold water soaks her, extinguishing the fire as her eyes see him. It's him. He is here. Slowly treading into the other room, a hand running over the back of his neck, and her fingers itch to touch him, to thread through his hair, pull him in and if he'd allow it, never let go. Her breath fogs the mirror as her nose grazes the glass, the entirety of her body pressed against the hidden door, and she watches. Stands frozen in hiding as he sighs heavily, walks further into the room, distancing them in his steps as he scours the stone room.

His hands glide over the open storybook on the chest, on a page she knows is there, she was cementing it to memory a few hours prior, a painting of them, in a life that never happened, a path of purity had she not been so afraid that night. A life they had talked about at length, the what if's, the self-bitterness at her own self destruction towards happiness, a loathing he'd kissed away, soothed in his words that it wasn't meant to be, they were meant to meet when fate deemed it right. Her hands press against the door silently, removing the barrier between them, a flicker of fear spiking in her heart, insecurity that stews beneath the surface as she shuffles forward, a half step, his back still turned to her. Her heart thunders in her chest, and certainly he must hear it, he's always been attuned to the rhythm it beats, and if on cue, as she begs it to slow, he shifts, stands a fraction taller, tilts his head slightly to the side, and she can see the hint of a smile hidden beneath the stubble.

It stands still, time, air, her ability to do anything but stare timidly as he turns to face her fully, book still in hand, and his eyes find her own, unfairly beautiful, sky blue, bright as the summer spring rivers, alive and sparkling. He moves, trepidation in each step at first, letting the book rest on the wooden cabinet where her potions lay, and she can't do anything but stand there, rooted to the spot, praying to the Gods, this isn't just a trick of the mind, she's been down here long enough with her own thoughts to go crazy, maybe she is crazy, it seems ridiculous he would come here, to her, she must be losing her mind. Hot tears line the backs of her eyes, a hard lump stuck in her throat as her rigid stance falters, slinks inside her unprotected heart. A traitorous tear falls before she can blink it away, warm and tickling as it slides down her cheek.

It certainly smells like pine, a woody spice she inhales from memory, ever so real as it fills her lungs, if only she could drown in a scent, be lulled to eternal sleep by it, perhaps in death there isn't such solitude and heartache. Her next breath shakes, catches in her throat as a warm palm settles against her cheek, gently wiping away the wet droplet, and if she leans into it or he holds her up, she doesn't really know, it has to be her, he isn't real.

He isn't her-

"Hi."

The sound of his voice, stiffens her spine, and she turns away from his palm, biting back the urge to succumb to this mirage, but her hands move, trembling in their path as they blindly move up, tentatively finding the lining of the thick canvas lapels of his coat, smoothing inside to the soft cotton shirt, his lungs expand in steady breath, and he could be real, this could all be real, it has to be real, it's his heart, pumping solidly underneath her palm. She caves, chokes back an unrefined sob and falls into his arms that wait openly, cradling her into his warmth. There isn't many times she can recall crying, hard like this, unable to breathe or keep her legs from shaking weakly. But he is there, holding her tight, nuzzling into her fallen hair, a hand between her shoulder blades, the other at the base of her neck, thumbing and rolling the tense disbelieving muscles.

"You came."

He sighs, hugs her tighter, presses the softest of kisses into her temple. "You doubted I would?" She nods, barely, but he only pulls her in further, scratching his fingers through her hair, he loved, no loves, her hair, had told her a thousand and one times, and it feels surreal. Like some sort of dream she hopes she won't wake up from, and finally her body seems to register, her arms wrapping around his neck, nose burying into the crook of his neck, forehead resting against the pulse that is thrives just beneath. "I didn't know if you would want to." She admits quietly into his tunic, muffling the incessant shake in her voice. It's at that he steps back, dreadfully so in her own mind, and tips her chin up.

"Hey. Open your eyes."

She hesitates, swallows thickly.

"Let me see you."

Her fingers grip the small lining of hair at his nape, and slowly, ever so slowly, she does as he asked, relinquishes the constant need to control, and gives in, for him, only ever for him. His smile is enough to have her heart splitting into a hundred butterflies, fluttering about her chest, as she finally looks him in the eye, melting in the spot, her wish to be in heels not barefeet debilitating so she can be closer to his height, can look him truly in the eyes, instead of inches below.

"There you are."

It feels suddenly far to vulnerable, to exposed, how she is simply letting him hold her, brush back a fallen curl behind her ears, nothing but silence and the drumming of her heart echoing off the walls. She can't be defenceless, unguarded like this. It's not who she is. The _Evil Queen_ , that is her persona, her brand, and the Queen doesn't stand lovestruck in the embrace of her previously deceased lover, soulmate, whatever they want to call him. Shaking her head she retracts, pushing gently against his torso, giving a few inches of space between them, needed space so that she can rearrange her jumbled mind, focus on the fact that regardless if he is here, he is not staying. He will leave. And she will be alone. Again. There is no room for weakness. Not now.

Robin frowns, goes to reach for her as she steps back further, huffing out a breath as she straightens her dress, shakes out her hair and stiffens her spine.

"So, you're back."

Her tone far too hard for his liking.

"Regina's little trick worked." Her arms cross over her chest, a barrier between them, he's never been one to enjoy those, especially with her. It is her. In a different way. And while there are many, many questions he still needs to ask, things that need to be answered, there wasn't a shred of doubt in his mind nor his heart, when Regina had told him just how he was able to be breathing again, that he needed to come here, to her. Most may not be able to understand it, why he would kiss one and then walk to the other, the sinister half, the darker evil twin, they don't need to. The only ones that need to make sense of it are himself, their children (a conversation clearly for later), Regina who smiled and let his hand slip from her own after he promised to return, and the Queen. The one piece in the puzzle that probably more than any of them needs to understand. He loves her. Loves them both. In their own ways. But regardless his heart didn't split like she had. It hadn't separated into a lighter and darker half, both tethered to their respectives soulmates, his heart is whole, and he loves each of them. Raised eyebrows be damned.

"Thank you."

She scowls, picking at a piece of silk at her wrist, a torn gape in the fabric he glares at. He likes this dress. Had noticed it the moment he had turned. It brings out her eyes. He adores her eyes. The window to her soul, even if, like now, she tries to hide them from his gaze. "I didn't do anything."

He chuckles, closing the distance slowly, thankful she doesn't step away again. "Well, I do believe that the reason I am standing here is in a large part because of you."

"Perhaps you have been lied to."

"I doubt that."

"What makes you so certain?"

"I know you better."

The Queen sinks at his words, berating herself for the small smile that parts against her naked lips. "Yes well, you've said your thanks. You may leave."

"You truly think I wish to do so?"

"Regina is waiting for you."

"You're not wrong."

"Then you should go."

"Why?"

Well she certainly didn't (absolutely did) miss his incessant stubbornness and questions. Her mind battles itself, because he should go, he is supposed to go, to live happily ever after with the one person that could give it to him. But he is still here, head tipped to the side, dimples on full display as he smiles at her, that irritatingly melting smile, and she can do nothing but roll her eyes, grumbling out a stiff _because Robin_ , as she turns away, ready to seal herself off in the hidden room once more. She gets halfway before his hand lightly grips her bicep, stalling her in the motion, and before she can understand what he is doing, his lips are pressed against hers, soft and gentle, and she shouldn't kiss him back, he isn't really hers, but her heart wins, that little spark of red underneath the cavern of black spirals out of control, and she does, holds him to her lips, revels in the taste of mint on his mouth.

His breath is warm against her skin as their lips part with a pop, and she sinks into him, allowing his forehead to rest on her own. "Never think, for one second, that I do not love you as well." His confession grips her hard, "Nothing can change that."

"How can it not? I am who I am."

"You're right. And I love you still."

"You shouldn't."

His lips finds her again, chaste and far too quick, "I'll decide who I will and will not share my heart with, Your Majesty." He smiles as her title rolls off his tongue, his hands lacing behind her back. "I fell in love with both of you, I love both of you."

She shakes her head, sighing into his arms, letting him hold her up for as long as he wishes. Which apparently isn't long enough, before he is guiding her into the candle light stone room, settling them both on the wooden chest, his hands never letting her own go.

"You gave a part of yourself up for me. Not knowing if it would work. Why?"

She should say something that won't make her sound so damn weak. But his lips are against her temple, his body snug into her own, warm and safe, and before she can stop them, it tumbles out, quiet into the silent walls.

"Because I love you too." His smile is felt, more than it is seen, the weight he rests on her deepens as her eyes focus down on their hands, laced and locked together, his thumb running along her fingers.

"Thank You."

They fall into silence, he not needing to say much more, and she having no real words to say back anyway. It is what it is, and for the few moments she is allowed to bleed him in, she will. Has all intentions to soak in every second of this before it's taken away. At some point they shift to sit on the floor, her leg draped over his own, hand resting against his skin underneath the cotton shirt, his arm slung about her shoulders as the rest against the wood trunk. She watches the candles, as the wick slowly melts away from the flame, dying into a low burning deep orange ember, bouncing dimly along the stone brick.

It feels warm again.

Footsteps click before she registers them, and when her eyes move up, she see's herself, the lighter heroic version standing there, hands clasped together in front of a black blazer, white teeth biting hesitantly down on a pale lower lip. She looks tired, and scared if the Queen is being honest. Probably a mirror image of herself in all honesty. And she waits for the shuffle of Robin's body beside her, the vacancy he will leave behind as he surely will go to Regina, to the one he is meant to love, and yet, his chin brushes against her forehead, stubble scratches along her temple as she sits up straight, ready to let it all go.

"My love." His hand extends out though he doesn't move from their spot, "My other love." He amends with a chuckle, squeezing the Queen's hand still within one of his own. They stare at one another, carefully, and rather shy, waiting for something they aren't really sure of, and Regina steps forward, heels clicking against the floor muted. The Queen watches as their fingertips find one another, slowly move to enclose, and she is sitting face to face with her other half. Without any sharp remarks, snide comments, or threats, they simply look at each other, distanced fractionally by Robin's body, Regina's eyes barely moving when he kisses her forehead in greeting.

As if in sync, they both settle into the respective shoulders of Robin's arms, nuzzling into his warmth, a faint flicker of a smile crossing both their lips, a lining of tears welling up in Regina's eyes, as her hand moves to find his heart, only to touch a palm already resting there. The Queen pulls back, wanting to take what she can, but it's odd, this situation, feeling what the other feels, knowing what the other knows, and slowly, she feels her hand being encircled and placed back on his heart, on half of it at least.

Her eyes locked down onto the slender fingers that hold her hand, before a breathless, watery "Thank You." escapes Regina who shifts further into her lover, and the Queen nods, smiles before burying herself into her soulmate.

And maybe it is strange, odd, and misunderstanding to everyone else, but it feels right, feels for the first time in a long time, that maybe, come tomorrow, she won't be alone anymore, maybe there is hope for her after all.

Fin.


	62. Heartbreak, Cupcakes and the Color Pink

**Heartbreak, Cupcakes and the Color Pink.**

She doesn't like the holiday. Finds the fact people need a specific date on which to proclaim their undying, overwhelming, clearly overdramatized love for one another in public honestly repulsive. It's all red, white and vomited pink every corner.

And she hates pink, so there is that.

It's even more nauseating how pent up this little town is over the festivity. There isn't a window she walks by that isn't stuffed to the brim with flowers, cut out hearts, stuffed animals, sickly sweet candy and diamond jewelry sale signs; the latter just makes her scoff with a heavy roll of her eyes. "Show someone you love them with this ring that's on sale!" It's ridiculous.

Everyone walks hand in hand, sandwiched together as though personal space isn't a thing anymore, tongues smacking against one another, trading saliva for all to see. It makes her skin crawl, the disdain painted quite clearly on her face as she makes her way down Mifflin Street, huffing a hot breath as she turns the corner. At least here there won't be any red or pink heart shaped confetti thrust into her face, or repulsive ooey gooey lovey dovey nonsense every second.

Thank God Regina is still Regina... to a degree, most certainly in love, but she hasn't yet caved into a love sick puppy. She appreciates that. The last thing she needs is more talk about this ridiculous holi— oh! Oh no! He looks so sad! Her heart drops into the pits of her stomach at the sight of curly brown hair sulking over tiny green jacketed shoulders and little turned in sneakered feet (which are new, he must have learned to tie his shoes recently). The little dark cloud of despair is big enough to have her sinking on the spot, and deciding to melt anyone who dare put this sadness on his face.

She makes her way quickly to the stone step, a bubble of rage and heartbreak swirling about her soul as she sits down, hissing at the shrill bite of frozen concrete against her jean clad thighs. She hates the cold. Absolutely abhors it. A tiny sniffle brings her back from her internal monologue of simply setting the town on fire for a bit of warmth to reality.

"What's wrong my little one?"

He sniffs hard again, rubbing the cotton woven glove against his nose, the line of snot that follows the path of his hand she'd usually find disgusting, but is rather harrowingly adorable as snowflakes settle on long brown lashes. The fat tear droplets that fall onto his cheeks spur her into gear. He doesn't even relent as she tugs him into her lap, wrapping the cream cashmere coat around his front, securing them back to front, hugging him in tight enough so that she may rest her chin on his small, trembly little shoulders, watching the way little fingers begin to play with her royal purple scarf. He smells like leaves. Warm spring air and crisp leaves. A welcomed aroma compared to the stench of forest his father's skin is soaked in. How Regina can sleep next to that stink is completely beyond her.

"C'mon now. Why the crocodile tears?"

"Crocodiles don't cry, Mal."

She huffs indignantly, a bit put off by the fact her normally hidden attempt at humor, that usually has a smile cracking into his dimpled cheeks, has failed rather spectacularly. He doesn't even shift when her fingers find the spaces that typically send him into fitfuls of squealing laughter. God this is depressing. "Did something happen with Regina?"

He shakes his head.

"What about your papa?"

Again, it's a no. The same goes for Henry, and the rag tag group of Merry Men. Nothing seems to be wrong, but yet, here she is, inhaling hard, cold frozen breaths on the Mayor's steps, hugging a tiny toddler who has completely stolen her entire heart and being. It's then, as she is rocking them back and forth, she spies it. A small white card with a cartoon bumblebee holding a heart, the scrawled "Bee My Valentine" curled around the edges. It's absurd. Adorable. But absurd. It clicks then. Why her little one is sitting alone in the cold with tear stained cheeks and a broken heart.

"Did you give Sarah her Valentines Day card?"

His curls tickle her nose as he shakes his head no, sinks into her arms more with a pitiful little huff. "She didn't want it."

"Why is that?"

"I dunno."

"Well did you ask her to be your Valentine?"

"Yeah."

"And she said no?"

"Mhmm…."

For the love of God, if she was allowed to roast this little girl's parents for raising such an ungrateful petulant brat of a daughter, without having the entire town scolding her for doing it, by the high heavens and seven circles of hell she'd be burning down the front door before they could even answer the first knock. How dare she? How dare she reject him? It's not like she is that pretty anyway, with blue eyes that aren't very sparkly, and blonde ringlets that are messy and unkempt. She's irritating like every single child in this town, well all of them except him. He is perfection incarnate.

"So you don't have a Valentine?"

"Nope." His lip quivers, the pout becoming more than she can handle.

"Neither do I."

She feels him still in her arms, turning the brown curly head of hair around to look up at her though she deliberately avoids his eyes, forcing a painted scowl on her own face. "No one wants to be my Valentine." She sniffs with all the acting glory she can muster, "Not a single person." A hard gutted exhale, obviously fake to anyone but the little boy in her arms, extended far out into the sky. She shifts, cursing her rather frozen backside, as he squirms around to face her, cupping her cheeks in his chilly cold cotton wrapped fingers.

"Don't be sad." He coos ever so cutely, "I could be your Valentine, if you want?"

"You would?" She clutches her heart, acting it up with melodramatics, "Truly?"

He nods his head with all the determination in the world and she throws her arms about his little torso, swinging him up into her arms as she stands swiftly, spinning with over dramatic cries of happiness, pressing kiss after kiss onto every exposed piece of skin she can find, a repetitive bubbly chorus of "thank you, thank you, thank you." sung out until he is back into fits of laughter, her preferred way he always be.

"And what's going on here?"

She freezes mid swing, a flush of embarrassment creeping into her cheeks at the fact she has just been stumbled upon acting particularly outrageous when she is usually cut and dry with most. The words catch in her throat as the pair walk up, both trying to hide knowing, smug smiles. She will never live this down. Being caught spinning around like a table top whilst basically singing out through relentless kisses and hugs.

"Maleficent is going to be my Valentine!"

She cringes, for a half second as Robin's jaw drops, Regina's eyebrows arching high, and she doesn't even try to hide her smile now, is about to make some remark Mal would rather not hear, silencing the pair with a hand. "Don't even go there."

It's not like they listen. Especially Regina, who simply leans her head on Robin's shoulders, eyeing up the Dragon thoughtfully, "I thought you didn't believe in Valentines day."

"I don't." Maleficent barks back, trying to hold onto her last shred of fear and regality in front of them.

"You don't?" His little voice pops out questioningly, eyes suddenly horrified. "Don't you want to be my Valentine?"

"Of course I do. You are the only Valentine I want."

"I am?"

"Always, my little one." She bumps her nose to his own and turns her back immediately, cutting off the beaming, lovey grins that are being sent her way, focusing instead on the happy, bubbly giggles from her little Valentine as she carries him into the mansion.

Clearly her plan to spend this wretched holiday drunk on fantastic merlot has gone completely out the window. She is a fan of cupcakes, however, and it just so happens, her Valentine is the town's self proclaimed best cupcake maker, and she is more than ready to indulge on sweet desserts, just so long as the icing isn't pink.

She hates pink. Hates it. But loves him.

So when the confections are presented to her in the god awful hue, covered in red sprinkled hearts, she doesn't even bat an eye, just smiles brighter than the sun, hauls him into her lap as their next movie begins to play, and presses a quick kiss into his chubby cheek.

"Happy Valentines Day, Roland." She whispers secretly into his ear, only for him, sees the little smile that creeps into his face as he snuggles further down into her never ending heat. "Happy Valentines Day, Maleficent."


	63. Call Me, Anytime

**Just to hear your voice.**

She knows what this holiday represents. Understands the point of it, kind of. It's a bit silly in all reality. One day a year, everyone decides to profess their love and affection for those to the world. In her opinion these things should be kept between couples, between families, and lovers. Love is something you show everyday, not just on a single one.

Making her way to the white mansion she watches quietly, sees the couples that hold hands, share happy smiles, and sweet kisses, knowing full well not everyone is snuggled up into the one they belong with. Life isn't that giving to some.

She doesn't knock, not anymore, just unlocks the door with her magic, and steps inside, shaking off the dusting of snow on her collar, grimacing at the chill that races down her spine from the cold. Graciously, the warmth of the silent house hugs her quickly. Hanging up the cream cashmere coat and purple scarf, she quickly shucks off her boots and makes her way into the den. She's met not with the smiles that grace the outside world, but with a very solemn, sullen looking Regina, who is curled up underneath a green fleece blanket, hugging a glass of merlot, red rimmed eyes staring into a near dying fire in the hearth across.

"There is a second glass in the cupboard." Regina comments without making eye contact. "And another bottle in the fridge if you don't mind."

Once retrieved, Mal settles herself on the couch beside Regina's curled up legs, throwing back a large gulp of the oak-y alcohol. "It's good." She muses, Regina simply nods, finishing off her own glass before giving herself a healthy re pour. They sit quietly, a mutual understanding that while festivities of love are parading outside, inside the mansion, within the safety of these walls, the mayor is allowed to live out her heartbreak over the soulmate that is out of her reach.

She knows the story, had been told by Regina herself on another drunken night. How after years of wondering, she had finally found him, and fallen completely in love with the thief only to have fate snatch him away once more. She blames Emma, Maleficent does, blames the idiot blonde they call the savior for bringing back Robin's wife. Never one to think about what simple saving might do, who will take the brunt of pain in the end, so long as she and her nauseating heroic family are safe, then to hell with everyone else. She'd wished she had been here for Regina. Wished that the Mayor had someone to sit beside her, get disgustingly drunk with, and allow the once regal monarch a chance to simply cry over lost love without having judgement passed.

She'll do it now. Will make up for every lost day back then.

"I'm surprised you're here."

Maleficent would scoff normally at the barb, but Regina's voice is tired, scratchy and sad. The retort dies on her tongue, a heavy exhale escaping instead as she swallows back another swig of wine, leans back into the couch and turns to catch dark brown eyes that are watching her ever so warily.

"It's not like anyone here is going to be taking a Dragon out on a date."

"You're sulking over not having a Valentine's Day date?"

"I have one."

"I don't think I count, nor is this a date." Regina chidley points, "Just you making yourself apparently comfortable on my couch and drinking my rather expensive wine."

Maleficent grins, a playful, wolfish thing, stretches out like a cat and pours herself a second glass, bouncing an eyebrow mischievously, a strange flirtatious thing that has Regina letting out a soft chuckle as she sinks into the cushions. "It is delicious wine."

It's nice, to have someone here, well not someone, there is no one she would let simply saunter into her house uninvited with the exception of Maleficent. Who in the past few months has become a rather needed, however, strange confident in what feels like a time of utter loss and loneliness. She misses him. Doesn't talk about him. But misses him.

Days like today aren't the reason why either. Seeing everyone else having romantic dinners and sharing sweet cards and kissing under dimly lit streets. No. She misses him in the quietest of moments. The mornings when his heavy puffs of sleepy breath would lull her back to sleep. A gentle hand on her back when uncertainty infiltrated her nerves. The happy, hushed laughter that came from the living room as she walked back with a bowl of popcorn ready for movie night with her ever so new little family. That's what she misses. Just him. His eyes that smiled ever so sweetly for reasons she doesn't understand why she deserved them. Nor the stoic words of trust imparted towards her, the quiet whispers into her hair of his affection. The mansion is far too silent these days, her skin left long untouched, even his voice seems to hide in the dark corners, so far away it's barely above a secret sound, just for her.

"We are going to need another bottle." Maleficent smiles, draining her glass.

"There's a third in the kitchen."

The dragon stands, graceful as always, something Regina has always aspired to have. The sorceress walks with poise and composure, regardless of the sneering gazes and whispered harsh words, it deflects on her clean cut cashmere scales. She is truly something, the dragon queen. Regina's eyes find the fire again, watching the flames dance delicately, her fingers flutter silently, turning the bright tangerine spiced fire into a deep seeded hunter green, and somehow the room feels warmer. She wonders how he is. If the smog and pollution of New York has claimed the forest smell that clung to his skin. Wonders how they are doing, all of them, even Marian. Wonders if Roland still has his stuffed monkey at night to snuggle into. Wonders if Robin thinks of her at all anymore. They had said their goodbyes, and she hadn't really thought she'd ever see him again, but hearing his voice, that would have been nice. Just a simple text even, just one, saying hello, letting her know they were all okay. It's probably better this way though, not having any contact. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but what of an absence that will never end, what happens to a heart then?

"A forest fire?" Mal's voice echoes out, pulling Regina from her thoughts. A curious arched blonde eyebrow thrown her way as bright, knowing blue eyes flick to the dying green colored flames that lick back into dark sunset oranges. She sits, the couch sags slightly, and Regina's empty wine glass is quickly refilled, dulling the ache in her chest with a light liquored buzzing.

They talk of nothing, more about Maleficent and Lily, how they are coping with this new world, being a family, living in a place where everything seems so fragile. It's getting better. Maleficent has learned about some of the modern technologies this world can offer, Lily's doing. And in return, they have been working on the life of a dragon. How to control the outburst of magic. Thankfully they live on the outskirts of town where impromptu fires won't damage houses nearby. It is getting better.

Somewhere in the den Regina's cellphone rings, and she waves off Maleficent's question if she'd like to answer it. There isn't anyone she has the will to talk to right now. Not while there is a half-empty third bottle of sweet merlot to still be attended too. The blanket around her feet is tugged tighter as she lets out a heavy sigh, sinking into the sofa further, closing her eyes as she listens to Maleficent pander on about nothing of importance, she knows she's doing it to try and ease the silence, help quieten the void that surrounds her. The incessant ringing of her phone sounds off again. Irritatingly echoing about the walls.

"I'll just answer it." Maleficent chides, standing swiftly, though Regina tells her to leave it, but Mal has none of it, simply shrugs and walks over to the annoying device. She doesn't listen to Mal answering, doesn't care, hopes if anything the Dragon will have a sharp tongue and silence the irritable person on the other end.

She's mid way through a hearty gulp when Mal is suddenly beside her, with a smile that is unplaceable, phone attached to her ear still. "She's right here, hold on."

The phone is extended and Regina scowls, wishes she could throw a fireball at the other woman for this, but she just redecorated, well that's a lie, she moved the furniture, a chair, she moved a chair, but still, she can't risk it being burnt to ash.

"Go on." Mal thrusts the cellphone into Regina's reluctant hand and sits down beside her once more, smiling though Regina looks as though she is about to throttle her. With one last glare, Regina pulls the phone up to her ear, musters all the internal sharp anger she has ready to send whoever dares to interrupt her evening packing.

"Regina?"

Her heart stops, stammers and halts with screeching brakes as air rushes out of her lungs.

"Are you there?"

Thank god it's only Mal beside her because the tears flush her eyes without restraint, and she can do nothing but cling to the phone against her ear with a trembling hand.

"Regina? Love?"

"Hi."

She hears him sigh at the sound of her shaky voice, can picture his sky blue eyes smiling at her, dimples on full display, God she misses him.

"Hi." He finally responds after a baited second, "How are you?"

It's a silly question. And she isn't going to have a meltdown right now with him miles away and no chance of coming back to her.

"I'm fine."

Fine, she's fine…she knows what fine means, he knows what fine means. His heavy exhale lets her know it too.

"How are you?"

The phone goes quiet for a moment, and she is terrified she lost him, lost this one chance to actually get to hear his voice.

"Robin?"

"I'm fine."

Her heart aches, physically hurts as it hammers against her chest sadly. A pitiful beating that keeps her alive and breathing.

"How's New York?"

"Loud."

She laughs at that. He is so used to the quiet calm of the forest. "And dirty." A tear slips down her cheek as she listens to the sweet warmth of his voice, lets it wrap her in a hug she can almost feel. "There are far too many people here."

"It can be chaotic, I can't even imagine."

"I wish you could see it."

With him. She wishes she could see it with him. Be there to hold his hand and walk along the streets filled with an exorbitant amount of people, all huffing and pushing their way through the bustling streets. She'd love it though. Would happily walk beside him, be knocked into by random strangers, if she was just with him.

"How's Roland?"

"He's okay."

"Just okay?"

Longing coats Robin's voice as he answers back, "He misses you."

She sinks. Her heart sinks. She misses him too. Terribly so. Misses the messy brown, curly hair she would comb through at night during their second time reading _The Cat and The Hat_. Misses his face covered in chocolate ice cream. Misses his little hands finding hers as they walked down the street.

"I miss him too."

"I miss you." He confesses and her heart threatens to tear apart at its last lingering thread. She feels Mal's hand softly squeeze her blanketed covered foot, a sad, soft comfort. A light clicking chimes into her ear, a shrill thing compared to Robin's timbered lull.

"What was that?"

"I believe that I am about to run out of time."

"Robin, where are you?"

"I'm currently standing on a corner by Central Park."

"Are you not on your cellphone?"

He's biting his lip, she knows he is, can hear it in the change in breathing pattern. Something is wrong, maybe not wrong, but not right. He should be on his phone. The one she gave him. The one that has her number in it, on speed dial, one button he needed to ever press should he need her.

"Robin?"

"I am on a payphone."

"Where is your phone?"

"I - I still have it."

"Then why are you calling me from a payphone?"

"Marian found your number on it."

She stills, clenches her jaw tight with a fraction of guilt. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. She asked why I had your number, if I still wanted to be with you."

"What did you say?" The words fall before she can hold them back. Her aching wonder getting the best of her.

"I miss you, Regina. Everyday."

He misses her, but he can't choose her. He has his family. A wife and child he needs to think about. She wipes away a stream of tears, leans into the cashmere pillow, and tries to halt the hitch in her breathing. He doesn't need to know she is this torn up over this distance between them. It will only make it worse.

"I'm sorry, my love. I wish this could be different."

"I know." She sniffs hard. "I can't believe you remembered my number though, you're awful with numbers." She tries to smile, but fails miserably.

"It's burned into my memory, I would never forget it."

I would never forget _you_ , it's what he wants to say. Desperately wishes circumstances could be different, that he could hold her in his arms once again, kiss her softly in the mornings, and promise that they would fall into bed together every night. But he can't make those promises. Not anymore.

The shrill clicking happens again and Robin sighs.

"I just wanted to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day, M'lady."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Robin."

She hears him about to say something else, but the phone goes horribly quiet, the call disconnected, but she doesn't need to hear the words he was about to tell her, those three little ones that she already knows, and hopes for all she is worth that he knows she loves him too.

He does.


	64. The Most Fortunate Man

Robin is a lucky man. He knows it. Understands that most men will go their entire life without being half as lucky as he is. He has a wonderful home filled with soft blankets and warm fires. A happy healthy family to have dinners with and Sunday park picnics with. He has a solid group of friends he can rely on at anytime, anywhere, for any reason. Yes. Robin Locksley is a lucky, lucky man and can't fathom how it is possible that he is allowed to have all the things a man could desire and still be given the woman he calls his wife.

A siren in her own right, dark chocolate hair that falls just below her olive cream shoulders, ones that are speckled with a constellation of freckles which trail down her arms and across her clavicle. She has a passion that could rival volcanic fire, a heat in her hickory, honey brown gaze that holds him steady as she sways and saunters over to him, arching a delicately shaped eyebrow, a predator he is willingly about to be devoured by.

Her lips are full, painted a deep merlot red, a line of white teeth peeks out to bite down on the plump flesh, followed by a wet slide of her tongue. The action has him salivating, an urge to get inherently drunk on the taste of her mouth spikes into overdrive. His heart picks up a beat, skips and stutters as the midnight black silk robe slides open. He is a lucky man. He knows it to be true.

It's lace, and silk, strappy and absolutely begging to be ripped off should he be allowed to use his hands outside of the white chiffon ties that hold him down. It cups in all the right places, has a pretty silk long tied bow settled between her breast. He wants to bury his face into those breasts. Wants to suckle, nip, and lick pebbled, rose hardened nipples till she writhes and pants beneath him. She says black is her color, though he can't fathom why she doesn't wear the crimson wine color more often. Maybe it gets to be just for him. He's okay with that. More than okay with that.

He wriggles in his restraints, pitifully so, as long slender legs saddle across his hips, ruby lace sitting squarely where he can't conceal his unending want for her. She doesn't care. Clearly it spurs her on more if anything. He swallows as she lets a slow roll of her hips grind over the bareness of his lower half. Bloody magic. He lays spread naked, cuffed to the headboard whilst she is apparently allowed free reign. Roams long, sharp nails down his torso, curling pink patterns into his skin and rubbing. Always rubbing, up and down, back and forth, the feeling of sticky dampness caught behind a layer of lace is enough to drive him to the brink of insanity.

She wants to drive him insane. Wants to push and push till he begs. He knows it by the wolfish grin she smiles down at him, revels in the bob of his adam's apple as his eyes devour her attire. Sangria red silk bow tied bra and matching lace trimmed bottom attached by eight black straps that criss cross sinfully about her curves, accentuating where he already aches to touch. She smells of roses and diamonds, something rich and soft, her skin like butter as she leans down over his body, letting every inch of her touch every inch of him.

Robin is a lucky man. He knows this. And he's never felt the fortune of said luck until he has his wife straddled above him, kissing along his stubbled jaw, whispering into his ear all the provocative plans she has for him.

It's called Valentine's Day, and he doesn't really quite grasp the concept of it, why lovers go all out on just one day, buy far too expensive gifts, eat and drink an exorbitant amount of champagne, binge on chocolates and have one night of "lovemaking" all because the holiday says that is what you are supposed to do.

So no, he doesn't quite understand this Lover's Holiday, given the fact this, being plunged into the vortex that is Regina Mills, is a nightly routine for him.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Thief." She sits up, and he is already irritated he can no longer feel all of her body on his, but the bow that holds her breasts together is being played with by long slender fingers, and Robin can do nothing but stare as the small knot is slowly pulled apart, and he groans as she is exposed to him.

It crosses his mind again, for the thousandth time, that he is a lucky, lucky man.


	65. Darkness Meets Darkness

**It was a needed thing...and there are many people to blame...but here you go, it's not beta'd so mind the mistakes and have some Evil Outlaw.**

 **Maybe Darkness is made for Darkness.**

Well, this he hadn't exactly been expecting. Regina is stunning, he hasn't yet denied that even to her, but the Queen...she is...he's not even really sure how to describe her. Their eyes are the exact same, and yet so much different. Where sad hopefulness resides in one, mischievous and irresistibly sultry swirls in the other. Everything about her is tantalizing. The slope of her jaw curving into a slender delicate line in her neck, perfect soft olive skin covering every inch of skin his eyes trail over. Damned be his train of thought of leaving this place when her breasts are pressed up for his endless viewing. Covered sinfully with dark elaborate silk and black diamonds that cinch down into her tiny waist, hugging the curves he's seen on Regina.

Her smile had rooted him to the spot, a thumping in his heart when her leather gloved fingers brushed against his cheek, the peaking of her tongue licking across her lower lip. Maybe this is what he was supposed to be feeling for Regina. This lost sensation he's heard her talk about over stories of _her_ Robin. It's indescribable. The tug in his gut at the sway of the Queen's hip. The burning in his lungs to her rich perfumed smell. Even her voice had his chest constricting, a low glow that saunters seductively into his ears. She is bloody perfect. Stories of the Enchanted Forest be damned. He can't find a single fuck to give for her past, not when the present is standing right in front of him, tugging playfully at the lapels of his coat in a way that has his cock stirring.

"So tell me, Mr. Locksley." The Queen drawls out, eyeing him up with a glint, "Has Regina not been treating you well?" Her body presses into him, the groan catching in his throat feeling her tits brushing his chest. "Seems if you're so keen on running away, I already know the answer." She scratches against the stubble on his neck, "Such a pity, she just doesn't seem to see you for you." That is an understatement. Regina looks at him and see's the other Robin. It's frustrating. He's not that man. He can't be that man. Doesn't want to be in fact. "I on the other hand understand you." The Queen pouts, taking a step back from him, a step he is loathe to allow. Adjusting himself lest she see the effect she is having on him, Robin huffs, rolls his eyes and watches the way she watches him, her eyes trailing from boot to eyes, lingering on rather inappropriate places longer than others.

"What makes you think you know me so well?" He pokes back, waiting to see if she will take the bait.

"I know you better than you think."

"Is that so, Your Majesty."

She hums, taps a slender finger to her lips before turning back to him, a slight gasp escaping at the proximity of his body to her own, a distance he'd closed without her realizing apparently. He smirks smugly at her, Good, at least she too is rather affected by this...whatever this is. "Well for one, I think you'd have loosened an arrow at me by now."

"True."

"Why haven't you." She leans into him, and there they are again, her bloody perfect breasts pushed into his face. God. He wants to burying himself into them, squeeze and tug at her nipples till she is gasping and crying out his name. Swallowing down his need to taste her mouth, he tilts his head down, inhaling heavy, watching her watch the way her hands move up and down with the movement just above his heart. If her past is any indication he should be rather afraid of the fingers that curls into the fabric just above his precious organ. "Probably for the same reason you haven't reduced me to a pile of ash with your magic."

She eyes him up curiously.

"I have heard of Robin and Regina's connected fate."

A dark eyebrow cocks, a smile creeping into her cheeks, "True Love?."

"Soulmates." He retorts, treading his hands around her back, testing to see if she will let him touch her. She arches slightly into his palms, his hands bowing at the top of her ass, presenting it delectably for his grasping. He does. Takes the leap and palms her backside full, forcing her hips to come into contact with his own, the hum she bites back with a gasp is pure sin to his ears. The thought that maybe the stinging in his heart is from a destined tether. Perhaps he doesn't _feel_ what Regina has explained to him of her love with Robin because he isn't her soulmate, perhaps light is meant for light and darkness for darkness.

"An interesting notion if you're into all that nauseating nonsense." She darts back, letting her eye wander his face.

"Not really." He lies, turning them so her back is against the tree, his thigh wedging between her legs, her groan spurring his action on to explore more of her body she is so willingly to allow him to touch. And touch he shall. Starting with her hips, pinning her effectively between his erection and the bark of the tree.

She moves before he can do it first. Her lips claiming his own, hot and greedily as her arms wrap around his shoulders and tug at his hair, pulling him closer. If possible, he'd have melted on the spot, tasting her. It's thick and sweet, something he can't quite put his finger on, but is happy to drown in it all the same what with her tongue prodding into his mouth. She pulls back, much to his dismay, her lips curved into an impish delectable smile. Her tongue swipes along her lips, tasting him with a purr. "My my, Regina doesn't know what she is missing."

His leg presses between her own, letting her weight sink on to him, a grind in her hips sending a shiver up his spine. "Maybe I prefer something darker."

"Oh?" Her eyebrows raise matching the devilish smile that splits wider, "And tell me, Robin Locksley, " She tugs him closer, warm breath ghosting across his face, his eyes remaining trained on the red shade of her lips, "Just how dark did you have in mind?" Her mouth brushes against his teasingly.

He crushes her to him, a hand fisting into her hair. It's sloppy and wet, and down right incredible. His other hand veers from her hip, ghosting upwards skimming along her ribs and groping eagerly at her breasts. They feel just as amazing as they look. Better even. Soft and full in his palm as she arches harder into him. She pushes at his coat, licking a line from his mouth across his jaw and down his neck, nipping sharply at his adam's apple. "Gods." He groans following her path into her neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark, biting and soothing as many spots as he can. Jacket divested, she moves onto his shirt, ripping them apart for a moment as she pulls it over his head, tossing into the fire, the material burning up in a second.

Her nails rake across his back, over his shoulders and down his chest, leaving red thin lines behind. He hopes they scar. Wants to walk around for the rest of his days with her brand emblazoned on him. And fair is only fair. The jewel encrusted cloak she wears following suit as he pushes it from her body, and this woman is a down right evil witch. The corset is leather, strung together tight enough he wonders how she can breathe. Best to rid her of it, lest she suffocate.

He mouths his way down her chest, fumbling at the ties at the base of her spine. Bloody garment refusing to part. "Need some assistance outlaw?" She chuckles darkly into his ear, rolling her hips into his pelvis near painfully hard against his cock. His fingers find the small knife in his pocket, slicing it through the silk laced ties that hide her body from him. She growls as the corset falls ruined from her body, and he'd care, but she is bare in front of him. Goosebumps covering from navel to nipple. And god her nipples are perfect. Tight and pink, begging to be sucked on. Well if he must.

The Queen sighs, bites her lower lip and cards sharply through his hair, directing him to do just that, lick and suck at her. Her head swirls at the heat of his tongue, a hard contrast against the cold air. She hisses as his teeth nip at her, tugging before his tongue slides over her breast, his hands squeezing them together, hard, just how she likes it. A bit rough, no sappy gentle touches. "You're tits are amazing." He groans between her skin, the stubble scratching in a way that has her thighs tensing and clenching around his leg still graciously wedge between her own. Grinding down onto his leg, she swallows back a tight moan, the seam of her pants rubbing against her clit.

His hands fall away, much to her disappointment, she likes her breasts to be attended too, but her eyes drift open enough to see him falling to his knees, lifting his hands to tug at the leather pants, and she was never one to wear undergarments, finds them all to restricting and just another barrier before she gets what she wants. "Christ. Fucking hell." He lifts a leg over his shoulder, hooking her around him, she can see the hunger in his eyes, the way he licks his lips has her pooling hot where she throbs for some attention.

If he had any thought that this trip wasn't worth the irritation of dealing with the townspeople, that's all but flown out the window now that he is kneeling in front of who he believes to be probably the most perfect specimen of a woman he's ever seen. He will devour this woman, make her cum and shake with just his tongue. And Robin is nothing if not persistent. He palms himself through his breaches, trying to give him some reprieve as he dots a string of kisses along her lips, sucking lightly, licking between her folds. Her fingers grip his hair, directing him where she needs it, he denies her. Reveling in the desperate arch of her hips as he makes his way to where her hip and cunt join, biting at the tender skin.

"I'm growing impatie-Aaah!" Her snapping giving way to a breathless moan as his lips close around her clit, sucking hard, the stubble on his jaw a pleasant sensation as he feasts on her arousal. She tastes incredible, the feeling of her legs quivering around him even better, she is shaking and he wants her to fall. He hears something along the lines of using his fingers to fuck her, and he groans against the feel of wetness that slides down his hand as he cups her from behind, teasing and prodding where it gathers. God she is wet, wet and hot, and tight and fuck, his other hand pumps his begging cock, faster as he presses into her, curling up and sliding slowly back out.

He'll stay in this godforsaken town so long as he is allowed to finger fuck this woman for the rest of his life. It would be more than worth it.

She bucks and twists, grinds down into his fingers with a hitched scream, and it's like he knows where to touch, where to press, finding the rough patch of skin inside that has her doubling over, fingers clawing brutally into his shoulder blades as he continues to suck and lick and fuck her. He can feel the way her walls tremble, the quiver and clenching against the relentless thumping of his fingers into her.

"Let me taste your orgasm." He growls between her thighs, doubling in the effort as he leaves his own arousal to grip her backside, hauling her impossibly closer to his mouth. It's apples. She tastes like apples. Everything about her is sweet and sinful.

She growls, slams her head back into the bark with a thud as she does exactly what he asked for and coats his tongue with her climax, rolling her hips slower into the easier pace of his fingers, drawing out every last drop against the flat strokes of his tongue. He lets her hand push his mouth away, a sloppy pop as he relents his mouths grasp on her, and for a second he's caught off guard by just how bloody stunning she is. Dazed and lust filled gaze sweeping down at him. He stands, brushes a damp curl from her face, and licks his lips, humming smugly as she catches her breath.

"We make a good pair." She chuckles, letting him hoist her up into his arms, her hand twirling fractionally to release him of his tented pants. She rocks into him, bumping his erection between her thighs, laughing darkly at the groan he spills into her mouth. She's a goddess, a stunning regal dark angel around him, sin and sweat slicking up his cock, and she is so bloody wet, so hot and greedy as he sinks into her. Her hands tangle into his hair with a moan, her hips moving and twisting to take every last inch of him, her demand for him to fuck her a prayer sent from the Gods as he rutts into her, hard. Hard enough he knows the tree bark with scrape her perfect skin, and while she is free to tear into his own flesh, he'll be damned if a single mark is left on her. He goes to move, shifts to wrap around her waist and lay her on the softer ground.

"No." Her thighs clench around his waist, walls around his cock, "Here. Fuck me here. Against this tree." He stills for a moment, caught between wanting to give into her demands and let his small streak of chivalry take over. "Robin." She tugs his jaw towards her, a dark glow in her eyes, "Now." Well if it's what the Queen wants. He spins her back into the tree, drawing himself slowly from her heat before thumping back inside, and she makes this noise, these bloody sounds that stroke his ego beautifully, has his pace picking up quicker as she claws and mewls for him. Her breasts bounce with each thrust, thighs clench and grip around his ass, her heels digging into his backside. He buries himself into her, tits and cunt all at the same time, biting down on the supple flesh where he can, his hands gripping her ass, forcing the roll of her hips to take him inside harder, deeper, far enough he can hear her cursing to not stop, she is so close, so fucking close, and thank god, his restraint can only last so long with her arousal slicking and puddling across his thighs.

"God! Fuck!" She pants, losing her breath as he feels her finally clench and cum around him, her hips erratically squirming as he pumps through her orgasm, wanting to give her as much as she can and then some should he deem fit. Her tongue licks across his jaw, sucks on his ear as she breathes out heavily "Come for me Robin, only for me." Her command is his wish. With a hard final raps of his cock in and out of her, he spills, climbs over the proverbial edge and lets her cunt drain him dry.

His arms shake from holding her up, but he will not release her from his hold just yet, not until he is certain she will allow him to do that all over again, sooner rather than later if he is hopeful. It's with a playful kiss she grants him that wish, letting her tongue tease his lips, "Seems the darkness likes you."

Perhaps she is right. Maybe darkness is meant for darkness. And if she wills it, he will follow her down the tunnel. So long as he is allowed to fuck her again.


	66. Into The Grey

So technically this started out as a sequel piece to Darkness Meets Darkness...and now it's just become it's own thing and I am obliged to write another chapter even after this one...so way to go Dark Outlaw Queen Smut...you've forced me into writing a mini verse. Gah! Also this is not entirely beta'd so just mind the mistakes if you see them.

Happy Reading!

 **Part 2.**

 **Into The Grey**

They didn't make it far, barely twenty minutes passing as they stalked through the trees till Robin had his grip back on the Queen's hips, pulling her ass he had in his hands earlier all soft, plump and glorious exposed for his viewing pleasure. Her playful gasp at his touch has him tamping down the urge to tear off all her clothes once more, expensive material looked better on the forest floor anyway. Post tree fuck they had sat naked in front of the fire, he against the log, she straddling his lap, her tongue doing sinister things across the expanse of his skin.

She has the upper hand, they are both aware of that, given the fact she was part of Regina when the other Robin was here. It's rather odd to him to think about the fact that she already knows the spots to nip and bite at, what to say to harden his cock in a matter of seconds. He and his alternate version share much in common, save for the heroic streak. He doesn't care for the plight of others really, his fortunes are more important. Fortunately, Robin is a quick learner, and the Queen is apparently more than eager to allow him the opportunities to make her scream.

He'd taken her by the fire right then and there, in the middle of a long drag of her hips along his erection, he'd slid down slower, angling himself with his hand behind her, guiding himself back into the sweet, succulent grip of her heat.

If she is the Devil as they all claim, he will be a willing servant for all eternity. He's slept with his share of women, but they pale in comparison to her. Dull and unappealing when put toe to toe with this woman, one that moans and grinds up and down on him relentlessly, ferociously greedy in her pleasure, demanding he give her everything and then some. Even as his eyes roll back in his head and his balls are straining to release, she'd asked for more, always more.

He likes the feeling of her thighs shaking against him, the way her nails dig into his shoulders, the slick wetness of her mouth sucking on his jaw. The phrase "died and gone to heaven" is not quite such a reach in theory to him anymore. He'd slammed into her, bracing his feet against the chilled dirt, giving him extra leverage to push harder, further into her till she lost the sound of her voice in a scream, clenched and tipped over the proverbial edge, slumping back down into his chest, panting erratically as he finished inside her. Perhaps they will make a child. The idea suddenly not so revolting to him, should she be the one to bear his offspring.

She'd promised to aid in his escape from Storybrooke if he helped her finish what she came here to start, though left the details of exactly what that was rather vague. And if he wants freedom, perhaps he can persuade her to join him in the outside world. It was with his acceptance of her offer that they'd set off, through the forest, between the trees that whisper to him to fuck her against them. He's been a good boy so far, but the sway of her hips and low glowing laughter that escapes her has been chipping away at his resolve every step. He's only a man after all, and she has such a seductive body.

"Easy, thief." She smiles at him, arching her backside into his erection dangerously, letting his hands wander and grope her breasts for a moment before she steps out of his reach. "I'll consider taking you again, once I do what I need." He groans, begrudgingly following her as he adjusts his breeches. Once they are done with this silly adventure he plans to be the one taking the Queen, over and over again.

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..

…

..

.

She'd left the other Robin at the townline, not wanting him to see her tears over the fact he wants to leave escape her eyes. Just the memory of watching her soulmate walk across the townline, again, it brought back unpleasant feelings. It hadn't even been a thought to make sure Zelena took the snake version of herself home safely. Surely her sister could do something right. But when has anything ever been that easy for her? Simple answer, never.

So here she is, scouring the town for a snake, a dark, evil, twisted snake. Somewhere in the back of her mind she has the fleeting thought to warn Robin. He doesn't know about the "situation" of her and her other half. He has to deal with enough, her problems don't need to burden him as well. Perhaps she should go find him first.

His makeshift camp is empty, an unsettling tension to the air as she sifted through his few things. Her eyes catch the treading of his boots, mixed in between a second pair. A female pair. The air in her lungs freezes as the golden cuff that had surrounded the snake's neck appears into view, broken open, a flecking of purple dust surrounding it.

Her hand ghosts over the metal, a hot spark tickling her fingers and her heart drops. She's back. Somehow she's escaped, transformed back…while being with Robin. How that is possible she doesn't know. But if the Queen is truly in her regal human form, there are bigger problems than how it happened.

Regina is terrified. Scared to death for her family, for what the Queen could do to all of them. How many people she could lose if this doesn't end right now, if she doesn't end this right now. It's the only way. That much has been known since Hyde's demise and while the thought of dying is rather grim, what choice does she have? She wanted to split from the Evil Queen and be rid of the darkness. This is her path and she has to be the only person to walk down it.

But where the hell is she, and where the hell is Robin? She will wring the other woman's neck if she has so much as harmed a hair on his head. Even if he isn't really hers to protect, it's still… him. And she promised him that they would find his way out of Storybrooke, to his happy ending, one without her. God she wishes her Robin was here, he'd know what to do. He'd be there to hold her hand and promise that they will find a way to fix this, to have hope where she can't seem to find any.

Brushing off the dirt on her knees, she follows the tingling of magic she knows far too well, an invisible trail that twists and turns between the trees, and straight towards her office. Her stomach flips as she sees both pair of shoe treads leave the mud and snow at the sidewalk, a light caking of dirt that slicks the concrete and vanishes at the front door. Her eyes flick up to the window of her office. The lights are on. A silhouette stalks slowly by, a second meeting the other behind the curtains. If she didn't know better she'd think they were embracing, but that can't be right. Robin wouldn't do that...even if he is a littler darker than _her_ Robin… would he seek refuge with the Evil Queen of all people?

Regina transports herself just outside the door, pressing an ear to the oak, her stomach recoiling at the muffled laughter of the Queen. How is this happening to her? How had she let it get this far? To think that she could split herself from the darkness and not have it still cling to her every move. She wants Robin back. Bringing this other version of him just isn't the same.

The door swings open, and Regina stands frozen seeing the Queen standing beside Robin, both arching a curious eye her way.

"It's rude to listen in on a private conversation, Regina, surely you know that." The Queen smiles darkly, glancing up at Robin, letting her fingers dance up his coat. She expects him to slap her hand away, but her heart shakes as he leans into the touch, grinning smugly down at the other woman. He's infatuated with her. She can see it in his eyes. A look he hasn't given her before, but she knows it far too well. "But now that you're here, it saves me a trip to your home."

The door glides shut behind her, the room tense and quiet as she stares at Robin, her magic begging her to vanish him from the spot and back into the safety of the forest. "I wouldn't do that." The Queen chuckles, clicking her way to Regina, "He doesn't want to go, do you, Robin?" She glances back over her shoulder, licking her lips teasingly to the man leaning back across Regina's desk, arms crossed, apparently more than happy to stay.

"See."

Regina growls at the Queen's smug look. "How did you break the spell?" Her hands gesture to the human form of the Queen.

"Perhaps it was True Love's Kiss." The monarch gloats back, "I mean technically he is our soulmate isn't he?"

"You're trying to tell me he kissed a snake?"

"Don't Judge. Some people may be into that."

Robin chuckles behind them, moving to close the distance, his hands landing on the Queen's hips as he peers around the tall fur collar of her cloak. "That would be something wouldn't it. The man you so desperately wanted to bring back isn't actually interested in you." Regina shrinks back at the Queen's words, a lick of envy spinning up her spine. It's a possibility she hadn't really thought about till this moment. Maybe this version of Robin isn't meant for her, but for the other half of her.

"Care for a drink, Regina? You look like you could use one." The Queen spins, her nose brushing into Robin's neck as she pats his chest, turning them both back to the liquor cabinet. "I will say I am partial to appletinis, but I am sure there is something else you can find."

Regina doesn't move, seethes on the spot, "What do you want?" The royal twirls theatrically, palms raised in the air, "Isn't it obvious. I want to destroy you and everyone in this ridiculous town."

So nothing's changed.

"You know if I die, you go with me."

The Queen taps a long fingernail to her lips, pouting wolfishly as she leans back into Robin. "That may be true, but who says I haven't decided to keep you alive, let you watch me take everyone from you instead."

For what it's worth, Robin does cock an eyebrow behind the Queen's back, his blue eyes frowning up at Regina. He looks uncertain. And uncertainty towards villainy has to be a good thing. Perhaps she can use that against the Queen. But if it's not, Regina resigns herself to do what is necessary. She will take the Queen down, and give her own life to ensure her family stays safe.

"Drink, Regina, it's going to be a long night for you." The Queen hands her a red stemmed martini, the smell of vodka thick and cloyingly sweet. Regina's stomach turns, as she places the glass on the table beside her, rolling her eyes at the Queen's shrug to suit herself and sips her own drink down greedily.

Regina stares at the intricate design on the Queen's cloak, nausea boiling in her throat at the sight of what she once was, who she once was. If she does nothing, what was the point of splitting herself in the first place. No. This ends now. Her hands spark, separating Robin and the Royal at lightning speed, and she hopes he understands why he is suddenly slammed into her office chair, ropes tying quick around his wrists. She needs him out of the way, out of harm's way as she does what's necessary.

"Now, Regina, don't do something you are going to regret." The Queen growls, irritated at the flurry of magic that forced her in a direction she didn't want. Well, no matter. If Regina wants a fight, that's exactly what she will give her.

They stand, feet apart in the office, Robin struggling against his bonds in the chair beside Regina. A fire blooms in her hand, "I won't let you destroy this town."

The Queen's palm swirls dark purple, a sword in hand and her eyebrow arches toward Regina. "How about we do this the old fashion way. I'd like to see you bleed."

She swallows thickly, vanishes the fire in her hand and gripping the cold hilt of a sword herself. Her mind flicks briefly to Henry, and she hopes to God he understands why she has to do this. "Regina stop, don't do this." Robin growls beside her, his eyes wide and if she didn't know better he looks afraid. For her or the Queen she isn't exactly sure. The flash of metal tears her eyes away from his, blocking the Queen's blow though it shakes up her arm painfully. She hasn't done this in a while, had to defend herself without magic, it's unsettling. The Queen lunges again, stabbing through the air, barely missing Regina's side. "Oh come on now, Regina, at least make it a challenge for me. Or have you gone soft?" She snarls, lashing out once more.

Robin sits defenceless and in utter shock as he watches the pair trade blows, back and forth, clashing metal on metal. This isn't what he signed up for. To sit in a chair bound and watch the death of either of them. It strikes him in the heart, the fear he has not for the Queen, but for Regina. For the first time in a long time he is genuinely terrified for her wellbeing. Flexing his fingers, his fist curls into a ball, wriggling and wrenching against the rope, if he can just get enough room between it and his skin, he can help her. The sharp clang of another attack makes him flinch as he sees Regina dodge just barely. He's running out of time.

The Queen laughs darkly as she circles Regina, a predator stalking its prey. All she needs is to subdue her. Then she can go on with rendering this town to ash while she forces her nauseating soft half to watch. It's what she deserves after trying to escape her darkness, crushing the Queen's heart. It's a interesting thought the Queen has long pondered. If she doesn't have her heart, can she still die while her soul is still technically connected to Regina's. Regardless, it's a chance she doesn't particularly want to dally with, just in case.

She can see the heavy breath Regina swallows, the fear in her eyes, hidden pathetically behind a farce of determination. It's too easy. She waits, long enough for a split second when Regina's eyes flicker to Robin's face, poor thing all strung up, she'll have to tend to him later. But the moment Regina isn't watching, she swings, making contact with flesh, revelling in the sharp cry Regina screams out, the hand that flies to her chest, coming away covered in blood. Her own hands move to her chest, and there isn't a mark on her skin. Perfect.

She stalks closer to Regina cowering on the floor, gasping for breath through the pain. Maybe she will simply splice her enough times to have her pass out a fraction from death. It's a tantalizing thought as she steps into Regina's space, watching the dark oozing blood seep and ruin the red blouse. Shame, she likes the color on her. "You can't beat me, Regina." She coos softly, brushes back a fallen lock of hair from the other woman, tracing her fingers along the line of sweat that beads at her temple. Her gaze holds Regina's shaky one, glinting in madness, "I am stronger than you. I always have been. You can't win and you know it." She smiles, pressing the blade of her sword into the supple flesh of Regina's side, soaking in the way it shears the skin, slices through the muscle, the choked sob Regina lets out. The wound seeps blood out onto the Queen's dress.

It's all hazy and white hot, the chill of the tile on her back doing nothing to abate the furious fire that spikes across her body. She can hear the Queen's voice, humming and musing and she slides her blade across her stomach, teasing another puncture. She gasps and falls in and out of consciousness as it pierces her flesh again, just under her left breast, falling too close to her heart. She's going to die. Is going to be the latest victim of the Queen's hand. And it's entirely her fault. She shouldn't have come here, she shouldn't have thought she would win without help, she should never have split herself in the first place. Its her fault. It always is.

The buzzing in her brain attempting to radiate off the pain that licks violently about her body is awful, being on the brink of death, hanging on by a simple fraying thread. Maybe she'll get to see her father again, maybe Daniel will be there when she falls into death's grasp. A beat of hope at the thought that maybe, just maybe, Robin, _her_ Robin will be there. Perhaps death isn't such a terrible fate after all.

She can't hear much, not with the ringing in her ears, but the Queen is breathing heavy above her, the trail of her fingernails tracing sharply up Regina's throat. The wet pooling of blood soaks into her back, and it's all becoming so hazy, and so easy to just let go. But what happens if she does? If she gives into death and leaves the world behind who will be there to protect her family? A family she never expected to have, but is terrified for none the less. The Queen chuckles into Regina's face, presses a kiss to the brow of her forehead, and wipes away the sweat that beads along her temples. She's relishing this moment. Regina can feel it. Knows the feeling from a life she's desperately tried to escape.

Her head lolls to the side, eyes fuzzy but she can see the hilt of her sword lying just to the right, a few scant inches away in what looks to be the trailing line of her seeping blood. If she could just reach it. If she could just manage to grab it-silently hissing at the pain rocketing up her arm, she moves her fingers, as slowly as possible, lest the Queen see what she is trying to do. How can a few inches seem like a bloody mile? She bumps it, flinches and then reaches again. It feels heavy, so damn heavy in her hand, utterly impossible to find the inner strength to lift it. But Henry's eyes swim into her vision, and she can't leave him, not with the Queen terrorizing the town. It's with that, she grips the handle blade, her other hand curling around the bicep of her darker self, gripping tight into the silk fabric. She just needs to catch her breath, pull in enough oxygen for one last swing.

"You know, together we could rid ourselves of everyone here." She coo's darkly, bending down over top of her. "Everyone that has done us wrong." Her breath hot and curling about in smoky tendrils "And I think, we should start with the Charmings. All three of them. One by one. And then Henry will be only mine."

Regina winces that the pressure of the Queen's body slowly sinking on top of her, a spike of agony blazing into her vision. Teeth clenched to hold back her outcry, she focuses as best as her fading vision will allow, "He's my son." and twists the blade slowly out of the Queen's view.

"Technically he's ours."

"No."

"No?"

"You won't ta-take him from m-me."

"And just what are you going to do about it." The monarch laughs with a shake of her head, dark sapphire jewels rattling about on her earrings.

It's now or never. Muster every ounce of strength she has, Regina screams, throws her arm up, slams the blade into the Queen's side, a pitched cry tears about the office as her dark half slumps down, colliding into Regina's chest, writhing as the sword pierces her flesh, twisting into her lung, and spilling blood into the white tile floor, mixing with Regina's own expanding puddle.

For a moment it all stands still, stunned royal chocolate eyes meeting dying hazy brown ones, a flicker of fear passing through both. "I could have given you everything." The Queen growls "Us everything." Blood trickles from the her snarled lips, dotting down onto Regina's shoulder, and it's all beginning to fade, the colors around her darkening, sounds fading away.

She can feel the shaking breath against her chest, the warmth leaving the Queen's body. "I don't need you." Regina manages to whisper as death draws her down, "I never did." Her eyes close, the last exhale trembling out as she gives in, she just hopes Henry will understand.

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Robin is stunned, half untied from his chair as he watches Regina leave this world, his heart aching at the sight he played a part in her demise. How could he be so stupid to fall into the Queen's trap. He was bait. He should have known. Ripping his remaining bound hand from the metal armchair, he sinks to his knees over both of them, rolling the Queen off Regina's body, and there is just soo much blood. Hot and sticky on his palms as they find the whitening pallor of the Queen's cheek. Her eyes roll in and out of focus, shakily gripping onto his own.

"I just…" she coughs, flinching against the pain in her side, "...wanted us to be happy." He knows _us_ is meant for she and Regina. And for a woman who has caused so much death and destruction, at the core, she only wanted what everyone does, a happy ending. Robin sinks at her words, cupping her cheek gently, "I'm sorry." And he is. Sorry for this aching feeling he can't quite understand, but is gutting.

"She loved him. I - I loved him." Again, it's not him she is talking of, but the other Robin, a phantom of a man taken from both of them. He sighs, doing his best to smile through the hot lining of tears, "I know." He doesn't know what compels him to do it, to lean down over the Queen's failing body and press a gentle kiss to her forehead, he may have only known her for a barely a day, but it seems like a lifetime, a lifetime where maybe he could have been enough for her, for both of them. She hitches in her breath, grinding her teeth as her dark heavy lashes flutter, and he wants to say something to bring her peace, but as his lips part from her skin, her eyes sink, and the Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest takes her last breath.

Falling back from her, the burning lump in his throat catches the sob that tries to break out. How can he possibly be mourning this woman after only a day. Surely it can't be love. At least he doesn't think it is...his eyes sway tearily over to Regina, who lays ungodly still. His fingers search to find her pulse, his heart cracking at the barely there thumping in her neck. He's seen death enough times to know there is no hope for her. For either of them.

Turning his shoulders from the Queen, he leans over Regina, tracing her features with his fingers, down the slope of her nose, the high arch in her brow, across delicate eyelashes lining her eyes. It's not hard to see why the other Robin had fallen in love with her, had given his life for her without a second though, a jarring notion slipping through him at the thought he wishes he could have done the same. Curling over her body, he does the same as he just had with the Queen, placing a soft gentle kiss instead however not to her forehead, but to her lips, flinching fractionally at the chilled rigidity that has already settled into them.

It's in the second his lips touch her fully that a glow beams from both her and the Queen. A bright white hot light pulsing erratically around the room and Robin stares frozen as the Queen laying face towards the sky, slowly fades into a purple swirl of magic, whisping around the room frantically, before fading from existence, and then it's just him and Regina. He fixes onto the spot the Queen had just been, now empty of her body, and it's strange, the want that bubbles in his gut, the fire that heats at the thought he will never see her again. It's...enraging, devastating and wholly unfair. Maybe he did love her. But then again...his eyes flick back down to Regina's stillness, maybe it's not the Queen he'd been falling for.

The air charges and something doesn't feel right, the base of his spine tingles, sparks and climbs through his bones, ripping into the muscles and veins, scrambles across his chest and laces tight into the meaty flesh of his heart. It burns, he clutches a hand over his heart, the one that holds Regina's hand, grits his teeth as the fire rolls into his brain, and he falls beside Regina, unconscious.

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Something is chirping, a high pitched annoying sing songy thing. She hates birds. Well, that's not true, but at this hour it's downright evil for them to be waking her up. Her mind blurs for a moment, hang on, where the hell is she? It's definitely not her bed, the ground certainly not soft enough to match her goose-down, and it's clearly not her office sofa either. She searches silently into her brain, when did she fall asleep? She'd just been on her way to warn Robin about the Queen….oh. Oh she's dead. This is what death feels like. Uncomfortable ground and irritating birds.

The white haze still lingers as she comes to, her back clicking and popping as she arches slighting, clearly she's been laying on the ground for quite some time...wherever the hell she is. It's a bit fuzzy still, in her senses, but she can tell that it's clean and fresh and curiously smells like the forest. Explains the birds she grumbles, wincing as she sits up slow. It's definitely dirt under her palms, a slight dampness to the air, but it feels warm, and oddly comforting in a way she doesn't quite understand.

Forest indeed. There is nothing but trees and thick foliage bushes around her. Odd. It doesn't look like the underworld. The sky holds none of that ungodly repulsive shade of pink, nor does it stink like stale morning breath. Quite the opposite in fact. The colors almost seem to vibrant in their hue, the air too pure as it slides into her lungs with velvet ease. She rises slowly, eyeing up her new surroundings, her hands moving from the mossy dirt below to skim up her ribs, and well that's new...her clothes are different. Gone is the black skirt and red blouse, it's all grey wide legged slacks, white button up shirt, long black coat and a silver scarf.

Her heart stops.

She's wearing the same outfit the day she kissed Robin in Storybrooke for the first time.

All of it is the same, the bracelet that jingles on her wrist, the shade of dark red painted on her fingernails, she can even feel the weight of her gold chain resting on her breastbone, it's all just the same, well except for her hair which still curls tight against her jawline. But there is no blood staining her skin, no sharp blinding pain, not even a nick on her body from the Queen's blade that pierced her body just minutes ago.

For a second she simply stands in the middle of the bright forest clearing, stares up and around at the sun attempting to peek behind pine, moss and emerald green leaves, the soft cerulian blue of the sky patterned in between, a light warmth whispering wind ghosting around her. This place, it...it feels calm, in a way she hasn't felt in a very long time.

Humming curiously to herself she lets her feet lead, not really questioning which direction to go, just follows a dirt beaten path that winds between ferns and spruce, moisture beading on the leaves, wetting her fingertips as she brushes them away and quietly sinks deeper into the forest.

It looks familiar, eerily similar to a place she already knows by heart, the same pathway separated by bundles of holly hock bushes, the trickling of the small stream just to her left behind the bank. Her heart thuds heavy as she walks around the corner, clenching as she presses her hand to the thick sturdy bark of the oak tree she knows she's leaned against before.

Twice actually.

When she'd stood from so far away, silently watching Robin and Roland playing together in their camp, her heart so terrified at the prospect that she'd found her soulmate, after all that time, he was right there in front of her. The trunk had been her refuge a second time that seems so long ago, when hope finally had beat off relentless pessimism, and she'd walked into this exact same clearing, swallowing her nerves and kissed the love of her life for the very first time.

A sad smile crosses her lips at the memories, it's almost like she can see him again, sitting there on the log, poking at the fire, that perfect serene look that seemed to hug him whenever he was in the forest painted across his features. She misses him. Longs to hear the sound of his voice whispering to her at night, feel the warmth in his hands roaming her skin, the bright mischievousness of his eyes before he'd kiss her without warning.

It strikes her then, imagining Robin here with her that perhaps _this_ is her " _better place"_ as Hades so profoundly put it back in the Underworld. Maybe everyone goes somewhere different when they move on, maybe each person goes back to where they last felt safe, where love seemed to flourish, back to where home was.

"Hello My Love."

TBC.


	67. Mirror Mirror on the Wall

**Mirror Mirror on the Wall**

It's been over a year since she has checked in on the Queen, a small little peek into the other woman's life just to make sure that everything is okay, that they are okay. And so far, everything seems good, really good. She's had a couple chuckles over watching this other version of herself lose the royal thickness about her and become a woman of the forest. Long gone are the jewelled cloaks and high heels, all which have been traded in for more sensible clothing, furs, trousers and a bow on her back. It reminds her of the time she herself spent as a bandit, for that moment in time where she had been on the run from an Evil Queen and an outlaw had come to her rescue. It's odd, to watch it play out in real life.

But this other Regina seems happy now that she's stopped grumbling about living in the forest. It suits her. Suits them. And while they may live in a forest, Regina can't help but smile at the fact that apparently you may be able to take a Queen out of her royal castle, but you can't quite take all of royalty out of the Queen. They live comfortably, in a large-ish cottage on a hill surrounded by trees overlooking a lake. Thanks to her magic, they have everything they need, even indoor plumbing, a note Regina did laugh at. But Robin is still Robin. He still hunts and lives off the land, and makes campfires beneath the stars.

She'd watched them one night, tucked on a couch together underneath a blanket, a calm flickering of orange glow from the hearth beating about them as Robin combed through her hair till her eyes closed. She hadn't meant to watch them as long as she had, feeling like a peeping tom and all, but Robin had waited till his Regina was nearly asleep, breathing heavier than a few minutes prior when he rustled gently in his pocket, and pulled out a small little box. She'd watched as his eyes trailed back down to the near asleep woman on his chest, a small smile creeping into his dimples as he kissed her temple and begun to play with her left hand.

Her heart had thundered as she sat silently in her room, absorbed in them and what was about to happen. He'd kissed her cheek, placed a few to her temple, and across her brow until she grinned in her sleep, curling further into his arms, as he pulled her gently awake. The Queen's eyes had drifted blissfully open, contentment swirling about in them, at least until she saw the box Robin had pressed into her palm.

Regina's breath had hitched at the same time the Queen's had, the mirror in her hands creeping closer as she waited to see what the other woman would say, knowing the answer in her heart already. His voice was low, curious and full of love as he asked her the question, the Queen's eyes flickering up from the diamond to his gaze, stunned, before she broke out into a smile, and nodded, pulling him down to meet her lips that ceased to stop grinning. She'd put the mirror down after that, wiped away a few tears she wasn't sure were from longing or happiness. That had been the last time she'd seen them, snuggled together in their home, newly engaged.

She doesn't do it often anymore, gaze into her magic mirror and see how they are, because it feels a bit strange sometimes, to see a life she could have lived going on in front of her eyes. It brings about an ache in her heart, wondering if she and her Robin would have lived this way, happily together. Maybe that's why her checking in on them have been fewer and farther in between over the past two years. She is content that they are happy, that she was able to be a part of making that happen.

But something just felt a little different today, Henry had left for a school trip for a week and she was feeling a bit lonely in her mansion. For a few hours she'd managed to occupy her mind with cooking dinner (for one). Had made apple turnovers she'd not yet touched and had a long bath, even done her nails. And it's only eight o'clock. Too early to fall asleep, nothing to capture her attention on TV, her book long finished.

Humming to herself, she thumbs the mirror on her bedside table, gnawing at the fact she wants to see them, that maybe, for a few minutes she'll allow herself to pretend it's her and Robin instead. Just a few minutes, ten tops. Sinking beneath the covers, she sighs, turning the glass towards her face and whispers out, "Mirror Mirror on the Wall, show me what I want to see most of all." It glows a deep purple, bright and swirling in her palm till the light settles and the image fades into view.

It's day time there, warm sun pooling into an empty living room, though seems no one is home. The thought makes Regina pout, unamused, what is she supposed to do now? Huffing out a breath, she sets the mirror aside, as stares out the window silently. The quiet is nice, she supposes. Not what she wanted, but what can she do about it? Settling into her pillow her eyes flutter shut, and she pictures Robin beside her, or maybe downstairs, frowning adorably at the appliances he'd yet to figure out.

She'd lost a toaster and a coffee pot whilst he was here and his curiosity had gotten the better of him. The sheepish look he'd given her as she'd walked into the kitchen to put out the fire alarm blaring away due to another smoke bomb from a destroyed instrument far too precious to have her irritation even flare a bit. He'd apologized, run his hand through his hair and sighed at the small carnage he'd created. But she hadn't care, would just shrug and kiss him happily, letting her wrist flick and restore the appliance back to it's working state. She liked those moments. Domestic ones between the two of them, it felt like normalcy had finally begun to settle into her life.

A muffled voice cues her attention back to the mirror beside her as she fumbles and flips it back over, light streaming into the cottage as a door swings open and she sees the other Regina walk into the living room, carting a basket on her hip and a smile on her lips. "I'll be right there!" She calls back out over her shoulder, heaving the load from her arms onto the table. Robin must be outside.

She looks different. Her hair tied into a loose braid that swings over her cotton clothed back, face void of all makeup and dirt under her nails. It's not the first time Regina has been amused at the sight of the once regal royal all dirtied up playing house. It's nice. She dusts off her pants, makes her way quickly to the kitchen on the left just out of Regina's view. In the distance she swears she can hear more than just one voice. Robin's certainly, but there is someone else there with him, someone younger. Her heart flutters as a hushed laughter echoes around her. It sounds just like-

"Roland! Come back here."

She freezes under her blankets, jaw dropping and eyes watering as she sees the mop of brown curly hair rush into the cottage. He looks exactly the same, a bit bigger no doubt, with the time that has passed, but his face hasn't changed from the picture in her memory. Big button brown eyes, chubby dimpled cheeks, two new missing front teeth as he shouts cheerfully into the kitchen from the sofa he's landed himself on. His little chest puffs in and out, and Regina can't help the tears that fall, nor the way her fingers trace his face. She misses him so goddamn much. Kicks herself everyday for not being able to figure out how to get to him somehow.

"Hello, my little archer." The Queen smiles as she steps back into the room, flopping herself down beside him, lips playfully coating his cheeks in affection as he squeals in delight beneath her.

Regina's heart clenching at the sight of him moving to settle into the Queen's lap, grinning up at her as his hands part, revealing a perfectly sliced apple, well almost perfectly sliced, one half is surely larger than the other. "I did it!"

"I see that! You're getting better than Robin!"

"Yup!" Roland munches triumphantly on his half he hadn't relinquished into the Queen's hands.

"Oh you think so, eh?" Robin comes into view, his hair tousled on his forehead, a grin beaming as he settles down beside them with a smirk. "Should I tell Little John you're about to take over as the leader of the Merry Men then, yeah?"

"Let him down easy, he's a sensitive guy." The Queen winks as she nuzzles down into Roland's hair. "Speaking of which, he'll be by rather soon to come collect you."

"Awww, Gina, do I have to go?"

The pout he sends her is beautiful, as is the smile she sends back. Regina still sits enraptured on her bed, can't help but feel a flutter in her stomach. They found each other. All of them. How she doesn't know, but what does it matter anyway? It's a perfect picture glowing out from her mirror. "You need to get some sleep or else you will fall asleep on the way tomorrow, and be a little grumpy toad."

"No I won't!"

Robin laughs, laces his fingers behind Roland's back with the Queen's, "Perhaps we can convince him to let you stay the night."

"Yes!"

"We all know he is an easy turn if you show him just how good your archery has gotten, maybe he'll seen reason in letting you stay and practice some more."

Roland bounds between them, whooping and hollering as he grabs his small bow and arrow and races back outside, his cheering still heard from the quiet that surrounds the pair still on the couch. Robin turns his eyes from the doorway back to his wife who leans her head on the soft brown cushions, humming happily when he moves closer to her, draping her legs across his thighs, and tugging her tighter into him with a smiling kiss to her lips. The seemingly innocent kiss suddenly turns into something far more heated, a moan in the back of the Queen's throat has Regina flushing hot, best be time to go.

Her hand begins to wave across the mirror, but her eyes glue to the placing of Robin's hand on the Queen's stomach, and she lets her magic fizzle out. They smile, a bashful blissful thing, eyes meeting one another's before Robin shimmies down between the Queen's thighs, his hands cupping a small swell Regina hadn't noticed before.

"Hello, my boy. How are we this afternoon?"

The Queen cards through his hair, tilts her chin down and smiles as he begins talking to her bump, Regina hanging onto every muffled word and mischievous, cheerful grin he sends back up at his lover before focusing back down to the task of talking to their unborn child. "Now, you stay safe and warm in there and try to ease up on your mother for a while okay?" His kisses the swell and moves back up to buss the former Queen's lips. "We should start thinking of names."

"Already?"

"Why not?"

"Do you have anything in mind?"

Robin bites down on his lip, brow creasing as he scoots back down to the barely there bump. "Well, my father's name was Richard."

"Baby Boy Richard?" She cringes hard.

They both lock eyes before sharing a laugh, Robin shaking his head, "A definite no."

"What about Rigel?"

"Rigel Locksley?"

The Queen shrugs, "I kind of like it."

"As do I. And for a middle name?"

Regina soaks in the moment. Little Rigel. She wonders if he will look like Robin, or maybe a smaller version of Roland, her complexion to Marian is close enough anyway. And when the Queen whispers out a name, Regina's heart stills, eyes flush with new tears.

"Henry?"

"I know that you didn't really know him, either of them, my father or my son, but I'd like to…"

Her words are cut off by another melting of Robin's lips to her own. "Say no more, Rigel Henry Locksley it is."

"You're sure?"

"Of course, my love. It's perfect."

They settle in together, lacing their hands over their baby boy safe in Regina's belly.

"You're sure you want to go tomorrow? We can wait a few days for you to feel better you know."

"I'm okay."

"You sure? You're only a few weeks along, we don't even have to go."

She kisses him again, slow and steady before nodding, "I promise I'm fine, it's not as bad as it was with Rae, that's for sure." Her eyebrows arch momentarily, "Plus, we promised Roland we'd take him."

"He'd understand if you aren't feeling up to it." He rubs down her legs and back up her arms, saddling a fraction closer to her on the sofa.

"I know, he's a good little boy, but I swear, I'm okay."

"You'd tell me if you weren't right? We can turn around anytime you want."

He frowns, though the Queen chuckles, "You worry too much."

She bumps his nose with her own as he sighs through a laugh, "I know, but it's only cause I love you're cooking and can't imagine having to go back to eating boiled rabbit." He jests at her, dimples on full display, as she scoffs, slaps his chest half heartedly.

"That's why you married me? For my cooking skills?"

"Well that," he leans in to catch her lips once more, "and maybe a few other things."

Clearly something, no matter the realm or version never changed.

She huffs, pecks his lips a few times more, "Roland's waiting. I'll be right there."

Robin smiles through his lingering concern, nuzzling into her neck for a few well placed kisses before extracting himself from her body, letting his hand circle across her stomach a few more times. "Speaking of little ones, shouldn't she be up by now?"

"Probably, if we want to actually get some sleep tonight." The Queen hums, running her own hands along the small swell as Robin stands, kissing her forehead one last time before whispering gently, "I'll see you outside, my love."

Regina watches as Robin leaves the Queen still smiling on the couch, soothing her hand over her stomach. This she certainly wasn't expecting to see… an expecting version of herself. Where she'd figured envy would creep in, there is nothing. Well not nothing, there is a bubble of calmness that surrounds her as she smiles at the sight.

"Mama?" A little voice calls from up the stairs.

"Coming baby!" The Queen stands, and skips up the steps quickly and Regina can't help but wait to see what their daughter looks like, what her and Robin's daughter may have looked like. The room grows quiet as she sits up taller against the headboard, brushing a lock behind her ear, she needs a haircut, desperately so. But Robin liked it long, and she can't really find it in her to shear it again. Oh well, unruly waves be damned, it will stay this length at least for a little while longer.

The sound of footsteps and happy bubbling laughter brings her eyes back to the mirror, the brown boots of the Queen coming into view first, her thighs and then a small dangling pair of matching boots at her waist. It's all long brown curls hiding a little face burrowed into her mother's neck. She can't be more than twelve months, a baby still. A beautiful giggle muffled by the Queen's own humming chuckle as she balances her daughter on her hip, whispering something Regina can't quite catch.

"Shall we go see your daddy?" She turns and makes her way to the door, bouncing the little girl on her hip, and as they begin to walk away from the wall mirror Regina watches them from. Her eyes lock onto a pair of sky blue sparkling ones, chubby pink cheeks, dimples and a perfect rosy pout. For a second the little girl almost seems to sense her, and Regina can't help but wave her fingers slowly as mother and daughter walk into the distance, and just before she loses sight of them, five little fingers wave back.

She laughs, brushes the tears off of her cheeks and sets the mirror down, her heart blooming and bursting at its seams. Her eyes close as she nestles back into bed, her mind swirling with the image of the perfect little family she had a part in bringing together, and something settles in her, a sense of calm and understanding that this will be the last time she uses the mirror, they have found a happily ever after, after all.

Fin.


	68. The Proverbial White Light

**The Proverbial White Light**

"Hello My Love"

She freezes, breath stalling in a painful hitch at the sound of his voice, a voice she has been clinging to for months, one that is seeming to be right behind her all of a sudden. It can't be though. He isn't here, he is somewhere else, somewhere she can never bring him back from. This is just her imagination running wild thanks to the memories of being in the forest with him. That's all this this. A facade. A farce. An impossible reality.

When she closes her eyes, she still isn't really sure, but her other senses heighten in the blindness. She tries to breathe, counting in a slow five seconds as she pulls in air, holds it for four and lets it seep out her nose in a seven second breath. Again and again she does it, goes to draw in a third inhale, but there is crinkling of dead shrubbery on the ground crunching under behind her, a sharp contrasting noise, she pleads it to be from his boots, leather and worn making their way towards her. The air is warm on her skin, warmer than a few moments ago, her heart beating frantically when the sound suddenly stops, halts dead quiet and there is nothing but the sound of her shaky breath and the ripple of wind through the forest. The forest. It smells like forest. Thick and vibrant in the overwhelming pine.

"Regina?" She clenches again at the soft whisper of his voice, inhales it greedily through her nose, and staggers in a dizzy sway on the spot. Her balance shifts, the world tilts on it's axis, pulling her sideways. Her knees begin to buckle, and she waits to fall. But something tentatively touches her hips. Ten fingers brush against her, two palms burn like wildfire into her skin beneath the wool coat. She leans desperately into it, the touch that is throwing everything out of proportion and yet keeping it all steady at the same time. The hands that hold her waist slowly move around her stomach, anchoring her back to the sounding beat of a heart. His heart.

Perhaps this isn't heaven, but hell. Getting the chance to feel him breathing again behind her, to feel him so close, it's torture.

Tears flame into her squeezed shut eyes, brimming thickly into her lashes as they fall onto her warm cheeks, winding slowly down in heavy droplets as she feels his stubble scratch against her cheek. She stills, freezes in place. He feels so real.

"I missed you." Her words catch in her throat. It's near painful how much she truly has missed him. How terribly she has longed for him to hold her like this again. So so much. Her fingers shake as they feel the skin on the back of his hands around her abdomen. He feels so real. So god damn unbelievably real. The speckling of light hairs on his hands, the round dullness of his fingernails, even the coarse texture where she knows the built up calluses from years of living in the forest are.

"I've missed you as well my love." He sighs into her, letting her fingers twine into his own.

She lets her eyes flutter open, blurred by the tears, but she can see their hands are laced together, a feeling she's longed to have back. "Are you real?" Her words stumble but her eyes refuse to turn from the trees in front of her, her entire body frozen to the spot, terrified that if she turns around he won't be there, that this is just a trick of the mind.

He smiles against her temple, "In a sense I suppose." His lips pressing a lingering kiss to her hair, and she feels him start to turn her, and regardless of the fearful pumping of her heart that this is a lie, she lets him do it, move her body one hundred and eighty degree around. She wobbles in her heels as his frame comes into view.

It's just how she remembers him, a perfect picture she's branded into her mind. The worn dark brown trousers, thick green coat, beige shirt draped over his chest, framing his body up to the burgundy scarf that hangs from his neck. She can't look up. Can't find the strength to trace the muscles of his neck that will surely fade into the hard line of his stubbled sandy blonde jaw where his dimples lay hidden. She can't bring herself to trace his thin pink lips with her eyes, opting to use her fingers to do so as she stares at the way his chest pulls in a breath and lets it go steadily, over and over again. He is smiling, that she can feel through the shake of her hands that cup his cheeks, thumbs smooth over his beard beneath the slope of his straight nose. His hands hold her close, encased at the base of her spine, letting her wander blindly up to the bridge of his brow, running through his tousled hair, and back to his eyes he shuts for her.

"Let me see you." He begs quietly, tilting her chin up with two fingers, before he follows her path, and runs his hand over the smooth porcelain of her cheek, anchoring behind her ears and through her hair, "Open your eyes My Love." She lets out a scared shudder, a tear falling for a moment before his thumb brushes it away, as her lashes flutter open, and the world stands still.

Crystal bright blue, rimmed in dark ocean coloring, the dotting of hazel and gold flecks, it holds her eyes like a vice. They are everything she has dreamed about and more. And it's all there. The hope, the curiosity, the love. It swims and burns into her gut.

"Hi."

She squeaks shyly, disbelieving that he is truly standing in front of her, alive and breathing, touching her, holding her tight to him. He smiles back, dimples on full display as his eyes shine in tears that match her own.

"Hi."

She moves, or he does, she isn't completely sure, but it doesn't matter, not when her arms swing around his neck, his chest melting into her own as she hugs him, fierce and unrelenting, and he does nothing but hold her tight back, burrowing his face into the crook of her neck.

Heaven. This has to be heaven. Only something this...this...perfect could be the eternal happily ever after she's craved for years. "You're here." She cradles into him, carding through the short hairs on the back of his head, "You're real."

Tears be damned, she is crying uncontrollably, smiling through every droplet, but crying nonetheless, because for once, hope, long lost hope suddenly blooms in her heart again, and it's a very welcome feeling.

She hears him muffle into her hair that he is here, that he has missed her so much, so much it's painful. His hands wrap a little tighter, a heavy breath puffing hot into the nape of her neck as he buries a little further into her, a little closer, a little more, always more.

They stand, beneath the shade of oak trees, in between thick pine and underbrush, for what seems like hours, and she doesn't care. Hasn't a single thought in her mind but to hold him forever and even longer than that. Robin however pulls back a fraction, his nose nuzzling against her cheek and he swivels his head enough to catch her eyes again.

He simply stares at her. Wanders her face with his gaze, holding her cheeks in his hands, brushing back a lock of hair from her face. "You're so beautiful." He smiles, and she can see the tears cloud his eyes. It's not happy tears though. Not with the crease in his brow that follows, nor the downturning of his lips into a small frown. "I'm sorry Regina."

Well of all the things she expected him to say, that was not it. She grimaces, uncertain guilt licking up her spine as she shakes her head, "You have nothing to be sorry for." The smile she tries to placate him with doesn't do much, his expression barely changes, but he pulls her face gently to his lips, pressing a light kiss to her forehead before leaning his own against hers. "You shouldn't be here."

"And where exactly am I?" Her nose bumps his, and he does smile at that. Their own secret little love sentiment. She lets her fingers card through his hair, soft and smooth just like she remember it, and maybe it doesn't matter where she is. This seems good enough.

"I honestly don't know. I've been here ever since…" He swallows. She feels the pain he can't quite voice. They trade a sad smile, "Since you died." Robin nods, blowing out a heavy breath through his nose as he leans back into touch his forehead to Regina's. "I never meant to leave you."

"Robin." She tilts her chin up so their eyes can meet. "You saved my life. You saved your daughter's life." Her fingers wipe away the tears that fall from him, "I am the one who is sorry."

"Oh Regina, no."

"Hush." She smiles, silencing him with two fingers on his lips. Her lungs burn as she looks over his face, at the little creases in the corners of his eyes, the small flecks of gray hair lining his temples. "That was my fault."

"No-"

"I said shush."

He grins, nips at her fingers, an action that stirs deep in her gut. "You died because I wanted to believe in my sister. In the possibility of redemption for her. I wanted to trust her." She sighs, running her spare hand back through his hair. "I knew better. In my heart. I knew that I should never have given your daughter so freely away to her. That was not fair of me."

"Regina."

"Do you ever listen." She chides him gently for speaking again. And something hits her. A deep rooted wrench in her gut that soaks into her bones. She's missed him so much and having him here, being able to talk to him, to feel him again, she may never get this opportunity again.

"Robin." He looks up at her softly. "I love you."

He beams at her. Bright like the sun, overwhelmingly blinding as his lips brush over her own, "And I you." She kisses him, or he kisses her. Either way, she drinks in his taste her mouth has been longing for. The proverbial fountain in a desert. She wobbles as he moves in harder, teasing her tongue with his own, popping and nipping at her lower lip, creating a burning wildfire up and down her spine as she clings to him tighter, losing herself in him. It's been too long. A shiver licks at her skin when his hands run up her back, around to the front, resting just below her breasts, squeezing gently at her ribcage, a leg pressing into her own, guiding her back slowly. She follows. She always will. Moves cautiously with trust as the mulch beneath their shoes crunches until her back is met with the sturdy bark of a tree trunk. She groans into him, wedging her legs between his, inhaling his fervour as his fingers brush along the buttons of her blouse, thumbing them provocatively.

She wants him. Wants this. Wherever she is, it doesn't matter, he is here, and that is good enough. He whispers that he loves her, mouthing his way across her jaw, up to that point behind her ear that makes her knees shake. He tells her between each kiss. Down her neck, and over the growing expanse of exposed skin on her chest, he loves her. She wants to tell him she loves him too, but her mind is dizzy, sparking and muddy when he shoves her coat from her shoulders, pooling the fabric on the dirt ground. He loves her with every button he pops open, every taste his tongue takes over the swells of her breasts. Her shirt follows suit quite quickly, floating down as his hands roam her body, over the curves and across the expanse of her stomach.

His breath puffs hot against her breasts as he pulls back, his eyes closed as he grips her hips tight, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I shouldn't be—"

She cocks an eyebrow at him, removing his coat and scarf in quick succession before her fingers tug at the white cotton fabric that hides his body from her. "I didn't tell you to stop." He groans at that, possibly also at the feeling of her hands running along the bareness of his torso as she throws his shirt over his head, her nails scratching gently at the hair between his pecs. It feels good, so bloody good, and he does want her, more than he can actually form words to say. She is giving him those eyes, the ones that are dark and seductive, sparkling with mischief as he watches her hands lace between his own, moving it up slowly to cup her lace clad breasts. They are soft, so god damn soft and perfect in his palms as he squeezes them gently.

She watches him battle between his gentlemanly side and the side she really wants from him, that hungry overwhelming desire to take everything she will give to him. If the way her hips rock up and down his thick, tense thigh, she is more than willingly to give it all to him. She always is.

Always.

Leaving his hands to attend to her breasts and pluck teasingly at her nipples, she makes her way back to his body, curling around his arms, feeling the strength they hold her up with, the way his stomach flexes and tenses at her nails moving to run along the band of his trousers. She smiles at the hitch in his breathing, the way his tongue peeks out to wet his lips as he stares down at her hands. And she thinks he is finally about to give in, what with the provocative moan that escapes him.

"Regina, wait." She huffs, as he stills her hands on his unbuttoned pants, inhaling heavily for a second before catching her eye. "We need to talk first."

"Talk?"

He nods, kissing her lips gently, "Talk first, then if you allow, I'd like to ravish you."

Well… that could be okay. More than okay as she comes back into the reality that she is standing in a forest clearing with Robin… who is technically dead… which should mean that she — "Are we in the afterlife?" She chews on her lip, letting her eyes leave his to look around once more, humming, confused yet amused, "The afterlife is a forest?"

"It changes." He pecks her cheek from behind, lacing their fingers together as he walks them gently to his makeshift camp.

"Changes how?" She sits beside him, well on him, but that's not here nor there, she just wants to be close to him. Watching his eyes as they flutter around the clearing, her fingers can't help but scratch against his stubble softly, a little purr rumbling in his throat at the action as he leans into the affection.

"Well, mainly, yes, it's been the forest, but some days I wake up and I am in your mansion, or your vault, occasionally it's Granny's Diner, but oddly enough wherever I do wake, it's always somewhere that meant something to me."

That's strange, and oddly endearing at the same time. But the afterlife is supposed to be for people to find their better place… so how can he possibly be changing locations? His thumb moves to sweep across her cheek, placating the frown that edges into her brow. "Are you in some sort of limbo?"

"Perhaps?"

"Why?"

He sighs, pressing a kiss to her palm resting on his cheek, "Honestly, I have no idea."

It's unfinished business, it has to be. It was the same in the Underworld with Hades and the residents yet to pass on from there. But what could be keeping him here?

"Is it Roland?"

Robin sighs, a heart heavy thing, the longing on his face clear as day. "I miss him, I feel like the worst father leaving him."

"You can't think like that. Roland knows you died a hero."

"He's so young, Regina." A tear falls from his eyes that she quickly wipes away, pressing a kiss into his hair to hide her own tears. Falling apart won't help him move on. Regardless of the pain in her heart, she needs to be strong for him. "There is so much I still wanted to teach him. So much I am going to miss."

"I know. And I am sorry. For everything." She sniffs, tucking her cheek against his temple, swallowing back her guilt. "You never should have died because of me."

"Regina, no." He pulls back, turning her to face him, sad eyes and all, "I wouldn't take any of it back."

"But you're right. Roland is going to grow up without a father. I never wanted that."

"I know, but it's not your fault." She tries to turn from him, but he cups her cheeks, holding her to him, "It's not. Don't you dare think that way. Not for a second, Regina, do I regret giving my life for you. I'd do it again."

This is why he is too good for her, why she doesn't deserve him. It's not fair that the once Evil Queen was allowed to have this man love her so much that he died for her. It's not right. None of this is right. He shouldn't be here.

"You know, I've been allowed to get a glimpse into what's been going on since I've been gone." He interrupts the cycling words of her self loathing, and she cocks an eyebrow at him, wiping away her tears as she frowns. "There are mirrors here, and sometimes they let me see you."

"How?"

"Honestly I don't know, but I can show you if you'd like?"

She nods, stands from his lap and lets him lead her through the forest, between the trees until he stops at the crest of a hill, and there it is. The mirror kept in her vault, hanging against the bark of a solid tall oak tree. He stands behind her, holding her hips as she traces the dark onyx lines of the glass, watching as it swirls purple in front of her eyes, and her office swims into view.

It's her. Lying there in a pool of drying blood, cold and horridly still in her black pants and crimson blouse, chocolate brown hair splayed erratically about her paled face, her limbs draped limply over the tiled floor. It's strange and unsettling, to see herself dead. The sight has her heart twisting, and she hears Robin grimace behind her, landing a row of kisses along her shoulder and up to her cheek, a mumbled, _I'm so sorry,_ echoing into her ear as her eyes flick over to the wish realm version of him, laying beside her, the lack of breath in his body stealing her lungs. She doesn't really remember him being there in the office, the memory is just the clashing of steel and hot piercing pain.

"Is he dead?" She panics, it's bad enough she is the reason _her_ Robin died, but to be held responsible for putting this other Robin in danger, the guilt bubbles deep, "What's wrong with him?"

He doesn't answer, at least not right away, takes a moment to compose himself from seeing her still body in the mirror, a sight he never wanted to witness. "I think…" He blows out a breath, "I think he is the reason why I am still here."

"What? Why? How is that possible?"

Robin chuckles at Regina's confusion. While he would explain it to her, his idea over this residual feeling in his gut, the tether that's kept him here for a month's wandering, he can't figure out how to put it into words, doesn't exactly know the finite details. Maybe it's better to not confuse her more, perhaps it's best to just whisper into her ear that he loves her once more. She smiles into his words, leans into his body for a moment, but there are still questions she has.

"Do you know why you are here? Why you haven't moved on?"

He pecks her cheek and guides her back between the trees to the clearing she'd found him in. If they are going to have this conversation and try to figure out this tight rope in his chest that won't allow him to leave, he'd rather be back in the comfort of his camp where he can build her a fire, and snuggle her body into his own. A feeling he's longed to have again.

Regina doesn't say much as they make their way back, just lets him lead her wherever he wants to go, it simply feels nice to be holding his hand again, being here with him again, even if here means she is not among the living anymore. A fleeting thought that they could spend all of eternity together crosses her mind, she doesn't have to be separated from him anymore. But that leaves Henry, and the glow in her heart dims at that. In the clearing, she sits on the log, _their_ log, smiles as he kisses her hand and lets it go, turning to stoke up a fire, the warmth immediately hitting her cooled skin now that night has begun to settle. She watches, and he sends her a wink that makes her tingle from tip to toe, a blush rising deep in her cheeks. She holds his eyes as he sits down beside her, linking their hands together and running his thumb across the expanse of the palm.

"It's hard to explain, but when I died, I…" He frowns, trying to figure out the words, her gentle nudge for him to keep going as she presses her side into him, a relief from the confusion riddling his brain. "I spent a while in a white fog. There was nothing around, just white light. I figured it was the afterlife, but then I started to hear something." He turns to find her staring at him intently, a single eyebrow arching high in question. "I could hear you." Make that two eyebrows near touching her hairline in surprise.

"You could hear me? Like in memories?"

"No, that's the thing. At first I thought maybe that's what it was… but I could hear you, or your thoughts as they were occurring right now. Muffled and distant, but it was still you." He smiles for a second, before sadness clouds his features, "I listened to you rip yourself in two, I could hear the anger and confusion in your mind the second before you did it."

"You could hear my thoughts?"

Robin shrugs, hopes that she doesn't see this as an invasion of privacy, he doesn't want that, just wants to explain how her voice has been following him every second of every day. He's heard it all. The way she cried at night missing him, missing his son, felt the rooted anguish that wrapped around her day in and day out.

The most startling was probably that he could also hear the Queen, after their separation. He had two voices battling in his brain, yet both saying the same thing, they missed him. Both of them. Even through the Queen's rage, at the quietest moments in the night, her thoughts would wander to him, baffled by the _other_ Robin's presence, at war with herself over what she was going to do about Regina and Snow White. It was oddly amusing, listening to her inner monologue. Yes, she may have been hellbent on revenge, but underneath it all, she was just riddled with pain, dejected and lashing out at the fact that Regina had wanted to throw her away.

He spent many hours sitting against this log, listening to them quietly. Sometimes it was just Regina, heartbroken and regretful, the low glow of her voice asking to no one in particular to help her, to give her something to hope for, to look for how to defeat the Queen, how to be happy again. It caused his heart to ache, hearing her muffled tears seeping from her soul, and that's how he figured it out.

He is tied to this place, this in between because they are soulmates, he can't move on until they are united again. And while he is thrilled she is here and he can have the chance to hold her, it also means they are both lost to the living, and that is a thought that breaks him.

"Robin?"

"Sorry, love, just thinking."

"About?"

"Everything. I have sat here for weeks listening to you, hearing your pain, your loss and confusion and I felt helpless that I couldn't tell you I was there, that there was nothing I could do to ease your mind."

She kisses his cheek, tucks herself tighter into his side, doesn't say anything because she isn't really sure there is anything she can say. He's right. She did wander alone in the darkness, unknowing how to fix everything, how to find some light again. Perfect masks in place in front of everyone else be damned, inside she was spiralling.

"When you found this other version of me, your voice suddenly became sharp and clear, and the fog I had been walking through lifted and I was here. In this forest, standing beside our log, and I think it's because no matter what version of us there is, we are still soulmates, I am still always going to be tethered to you in some way."

"You think you've been waiting for me here?"

"I do."

It's oddly romantic, in its own strange, bizarre way, and Regina can't help the tug on her lips, nor the flutter in her stomach. "Can you still hear my thoughts?"

"You mean right now?" Robin tilts his chin down, eyes sparkling cheekily. She lets him stare for a few seconds, not quite ready to break the contact, her teeth peeking out to bite down on her lip playfully as his gaze shifts to her mouth, for a second only before returning to her eyes.

"Well…" He hums as she moves to straddle his lap, linking her arms around his neck as they settle hip to hip, her thighs encasing his own. "I believe…" his hands snake up her back, and then back down to rest on the dip in her spine, "that you are thinking…" Regina smiles, arches into his hands and plays with the hairs on the nape of his neck, tugging gently as she sighs into him, "you love me."

She blinks, blushes momentarily, before shrugging, "You got me." Leaning down she captures his lips, inhaling the soft, sweet taste of him, swallowing the moan that rumbles in his throat, and sinks down further into his arms, letting his tongue tease her own.

He pulls back first, chuckles at the pout his eyes are met with, "I love you, Regina."

"I know."

Her lips melt to his once more, and something white hot licks up her spine, burns into her heart, and her muscles tense around him. Surely he can feel it too, the way he digs a little harder into her hips, groans and presses his mouth to hers more firmly. It flushes, sweeps across her skin, her hair flying erratically in the hot wind, and it's like electricity, sparking and zapping into her brain, almost painful, charing wherever her fingers touch Robin, smoldering like Dragonfire in her stomach. There is a rough tug at the base of her spine, a heavy gust of pine that invades her lungs, and then just silence. Not a pin drop heard, save for her breath panting. Her eyes are still closed, a dull throbbing in her head has her grimacing, something cold is under her knees, hard and sending a sharp sting into her bones.

"Regina?"

She stills, snapping her eyes open, and his eyes lock onto hers first before anything. She's on his lap, still holding onto his shoulders, straddling his thighs, and he looks terrified, and yet not really. There is confusion and bewilderment, but the longer she looks at him, regaining her breath, the more calm and ease swirls inside his eyes. He's stunned. But happy. Disbelieving for sure, and looks as though he is about to cry.

"Regina… we are in your office."

 _What?_ _How?_

Her eyes break from his own, and her heart clenches tightly. They are certainly in her office, in the office she just died in, but there is no sign of her body.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"It feels different than the forest."

He nods at that, helping her up off his lap, but keeping her hand tucked into his own. Perhaps they simply transported somewhere else. Something is off though, the air isn't quite as sparkly here, the warmth not as thick.

"Robin… do you think we are…."

"MOM!"

The office door bursts open, and thank god for Robin standing behind her or else she surely would have tipped over with the impact Henry's body smacks into her with. Her hands wrap automatically around him, but her eyes flicker to Robins, who is caught between a frown and a smile. "Are you okay? There was a this massive eruption of magic an hour ago and no one knew where you were!"

 _What the hell…_

"I— I'm fine, Henry."

 _She is supposed to be dead._

"You promise? What happened? We tried to break in here but magic locked us out. Was the Queen here?"

 _The Queen… where the hell was the Queen…_

"Henry, I—"

"Did she hurt you?" His hazel eyes snap onto hers, fear swimming in them as he clutches to her. "You're okay thought right? I was so scared, Mom."

She is at a total loss as Emma and the Charmings walk into the office equally as confused, they didn't know the Queen had killed her… didn't know she in turn stabbed the Queen… they didn't know any of it…

"I'm okay, Henry. I promise."

Robin's hand squeezes her hand not hugging her son, and she is pulled back to his eyes. They are back. He is here. _Her_ Robin. She can see his bewilderment, and she has no idea how this is even possible. You can't bring people back from the dead, can you?

Tears spring to her eyes, her breathing rattling at the thought that she has him here again, he is real and breathing right beside her, holding her hand and heart beating strong against her back. "I don't understand how this is possible." She whispers out to no one really, but Henry steps back, perplexed at her words, "I— this doesn't make any sense." She stumbles over her words as the Charmings stare puzzled back at her.

"Henry." Robin's warm tone brushes beside her, and she watches as her son frowns for a moment, his eyes tracing Robin's face silently, confused and disconcerted at the mention of his name. He met the _other_ Robin, but their interaction had been brief, Henry had exited quickly out of their conversation flustered, it was strange for him too. Seeing another man who looked identical to a father figure he'd just lost, and yet it wasn't the same person at all.

"Henry, it's me."

He stands beside Regina, half a grin etched across his face as he slowly extends a hand out to the younger boy. He can see the hesitancy, understandable given what is going on, and he can see the pain behind questioning eyes.

"How?"

"I don't have a clue to be honest."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Ask me anything. Something only you and I would know."

Regina's heart thunders in her chest as she watches Henry's brow crease though Robin's face remains unchanged from its gentleness. She feels Robin grip her hand an imperceptible fraction tighter as he waits, steady in his breath.

"Henry? I promise—" Regina starts, but is cut off by her son's whispered question.

"Where were we when you told me you loved my mom?" For a moment she is thrown, Robin hadn't even told her yet before he died, hadn't said those three words before he was taken from her, and yet apparently he told Henry? She turns from her son, wide eyed and stunned as Robin's face breaks out into a smile, dimples on full display as a bristle of blush creeps into his cheeks when his eyes glance her way.

"We were in the backyard. After I returned from New York. You were sitting under her apple tree and I came to join you. It became somewhat of a tradition for you and I, talking underneath it."

She didn't know they did that…

"What did you say to me? What were your exact words?" Henry huffs out as tears fill his eyes.

"You were upset that I had left in the first place, were uncertain if you could trust me again, if you could trust me to hold her heart again, and I told you that I loved your mother with everything in my soul, and that I would rather die than put her through that kind of pain again."

Henry smiles, grabs Robin's extended hand, "Next time, don't take it so literally okay?"

Robin laughs as Henry launches himself into his arms, sandwiching himself between his mother and Robin. Regina feels her boys hug her fiercely, feels Robin press a kiss to her temple as he sniffs, the only sound that makes her realize he is crying, that her own tears have fallen and she leans into both of them.

"I don't understand how this is possible." She whispers between them.

And it's not Robin who answers but a very, very, happy Henry, "It doesn't matter."

She smiles because he's right, it doesn't.

Fin.


	69. DOQ Day 1 - PDA

**Dragon Outlaw Queen Week!**

 **Day 1: PDA**

The first time someone interrupted their impromptu affections it left Regina flushed with embarrassment, Robin hastily trying to hide his growing erection, and Maleficent less than impressed. It's new, this thing they have, and while behind closed doors Regina could give two flying fucks about what people think, being caught with her blouse unbuttoned, heels abandoned somewhere, Maleficent's tongue down her throat and Robin grinding into her ass from behind in public is different. Very different.

Thankfully, it was only Hook who had stumbled upon them in the Mayor's office. He'd commented smugly in that pirate tone just how sorry he was to interrupt such an _scene_ and for them to carry on, not to mind him in the slightest. Regina had kicked him out quickly after his mention that he didn't take her for a purple lace sort of woman, sent him off with with a few harsh words, irritatingly not before he could send a ridiculous wink to her and bid Robin a _happy_ afternoon with his women. Apparently they needed to make sure all the doors were locked before entertaining themselves.

The second time, Maleficent had her skirt hiked up around her waist, groaning a sinful noise with Robin attached to her neck, his fingers playfully teasing the line of Regina's silk, very damp, underwear, around the corner of an alleyway that was supposed to be deserted. Unfortunately, nothing in this god forsaken small town is deserted. And why it had to be this dwarf to walk half drunk into their path she will never understand. She loathes him and his loud mouth. His sloshing staggered walk suddenly halted as he stood stunned for a half second before grumbling that they needed to keep their clothes on and find somewhere else to defile. Grumpy old git.

She'd been careful after that. Had done her best to stave off the incessant flirting and affections both her Dragon and Outlaw relentlessly sent her way. Begrudgingly removed their hands that slid a bit too high up her thigh under the diner tables, extricated herself from lips that teased against her earlobe at town hall meetings. They like to test her, and she likes to be teased, but her sex life being the talk of the town isn't exactly what she wants.

Maleficent doesn't care. Why would she? There isn't a soul in Storybrooke that would dare send a cocked eyebrow or let a hushed, curious whisper hit her ears. They are terrified of her. For good reason. The woman instills fear with a single growl in her eyes.

Robin rather enjoys the gentle joke musings of the town folk. Even lets his Merry Men jest and poke for answers about how he has managed to snag not just the Queen but the infamous Dragon sorceress as well. He has two of the most beautiful, powerful women that grace his bed. It's a man's dream come true. His happy, smug, dimpled smile he sends Regina after claiming her mouth in front of people is endearingly irritating to her.

They have an understanding of sorts, that it doesn't matter who is kissing who, even if the third party isn't there, they are allowed. It gives Regina peace of mind, even tugs at her heart strings when she walks into her office seeing Robin and Mal snuggled up on her sofa, trading gentle loving kisses. There isn't a shred of jealousy that rolls through her. Not even a peep of a green eyed monster seeing her soulmate kissing another woman. Granted, it's another love in her life, but still, she's more than happy to work at her desk and listen to them chatter quietly on between lip smackings. There hasn't been this feeling of comfort for her before with the three of them, now that Henry and Roland know. They are fine with it, intrigued about Maleficent and her Dragon form, and if it makes their house a happier place, who are they to argue with it.

"Regina, come here." Maleficent crones from her seated position on Robin's lap. "I need to tell you something." A dark blonde eyebrow arches seductively, her neck arching slightly to allow Robin more skin to taste.

"I need to get this budget report done." She grins back, a flip in her stomach at Robin's groan towards Maleficent's rolling hips. They are beautiful together. Her lovers. But she doesn't have time for _that_ right now. Later, yes. But work before play right?

"Oh come on, Madame Mayor, surely you'll allow yourself a break?" Mal stands, running her fingers through Robin's hair as she stalks slowly towards Regina. She won't give in. Not even if her thighs clench a touch tighter under her desk, she will not be distracted. Not even by the heat that radiates off Mal's breath that ghosts against her cheek, or the feeling of her fingers rolling the tense muscles in her neck. Her eyes close, only because this impromptu massage feels rather nice, not because she is trying to focus her breathing into something less erratic, a losing battle as she hears Robin move from the couch. She will not let them fluster her. She is here to do work and anyone could walk in at any moment.

She should have kept her eyes open. That way she would have realized that Robin's hands had moved the arms of her chair, slowly beginning to push her away from her desk. "You both need to stop." Her demand coming out rather breathless and not at all as sharply as she intended.

"Oh come on, love, just a few minutes, then you can go back to your work."

"I don't have a few minutes." She groans as his hands slide up her thighs, tugging the tight material of her skirt up, baring the black garters she wears. The pair of them match in their heated moan towards her attire. She wears it for them. Knows they like the modern lingerie of this realm. Her eyes blink open as Robin falls to his knees, parting her thighs to allow him some space to work. Work. She needs to be doing work. _Budget reports_ , Mal's tongue against her jaw, _budget reports_ , Robin's mouth teasing along the inside of her legs, creeping deadly close to where she can't hide her arousal from them… _budget reports_ … _budget reports_ … the buttons of her blouse pop open thanks to Mal's fingers…

"Please."

"Please what, Regina?" Mal hums into her ear, nipping at the lobe in that way that makes Regina squirm in her chair. She wants to give in. Wants to let them devour her on her desk. Wants them naked and sweaty and touching her. It's just a few minutes. It can't hurt. She's allowed to want them, want this. Her resolve crumbles as Robin's fingers begin to rub over her underwear, circling slowly, trailing up and down, spreading the wetness that pools there.

It's not her fault that her thighs widen, allowing his tongue to follow the trace of his fingers, and it's not her fault that she moans and relents her neck to be sucked on by Mal. It's not her fault they can reduce her to a pile of trembling mess of arousal in a manner of seconds and with a few well placed touches. It's not her — "Regina? You in there?"

She freezes, eyes popping open to the intruding voice from behind her door.

God damn Snow White for ruining everything. Robin chuckles between her thighs, pressing his fingers harder against her, "You should answer her."

She should. Doesn't want to, but if her lovers are persistent, Snow White is damn near impossible to send away.

"Let her watch." Mal licks into Regina's neck, "It would be such a scandal for the Mayor to be caught doing things other than her job on office hours now wouldn't it."

It's down right embarrassing, the begging noise that escapes Regina, and for a half second she is about to allow them to carry on. But they both move, tugging her skirt back down, buttoning up her blouse and moving back to the couch before her eyes have even registered they've left her, sitting flushed and wet in her chair. Teasing assholes. Tonight she will get them back. Will tie them both up and have her way with them.

"Come in Snow." She glowers at the pair who laugh on the couch as the door swings open.

"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't know you had company."

"Yes, well, what do you want?"

"I was just wondering how the school budget reports were coming, we are hoping to hire some new teachers."

"Yes, Snow, I am aware. I'll have them done for you by the end of today like I said yesterday when you came in to ask."

Mal sniggers into Robin's neck, oblivious to the shocked look Snow sends their way. It boils Regina's blood. That they have this ease in their affections for one another regardless of who is in the room. She wants to be kissing them.

"Anything else?" She huffs towards Snow, though her eyes don't completely leave Robin's hands running up and down Mal's back and into the golden tresses of her hair. She likes Mal's hair. Damn them both.

"Are you still coming to David's birthday dinner tonight at Granny's?"

"I said I was."

"Right, uhh, well then I'll just leave you all alone."

 _Thank God!_

Snow leaves far too quickly and Regina slumps back into her chair, feeling the slippery wetness between her thighs still very much apparent.

"I hate you both."

She half expects them to return to touching her, but apparently they both have a different train of thought as they rise from the couch, kissing her each far too chastely before stepping back beyond her reach. "We should leave you to your work." Mal smiles, reaches for Robin's hand and sends Regina a giddy wink as they head to the door, leaving Regina rather unamused as her office door clicks shut and the quiet settles in.

She frowns down at the budget reports littering her desk. One hour, that's all the time they will take from her. One hour and then she will head to the diner.

One hour turns into three and she is down right furious by the time she grabs her bag and slams the door shut behind her. The party is in full swing as she enters, seems the entire town is out celebrating. She sees them standing beside the bar, chatting with Ruby and August, surrounded by people. They look perfect. Are perfect and they are _hers_. Curious glances and smug chuckles be damned. She doesn't even say hello as she heads straight on towards them. Not even Robin's quick greeting is enough to slow her down. They started this hours ago and she will damn well end it.

Hauling Robin's mouth to her own, she inhales him, greedy and sloppily, tasting the ale on his tongue. They part with a pop and a stunned breath from him before her head turns to Maleficent, claiming the dragon's mouth in much the same manner. She swallows Mal's hum, presses harder into her for a fraction of a second till the gruff tone of Granny's "Alright this isn't a bloody brothel." tears her away.

She flushes. All eyes are on her and the rather impromptu public display of affection she so rarely gives into.

Screw them all. She will kiss her lovers if she damn well pleases.


	70. DOQ 2 - Look Both Ways

Today is one of those days where the sun seems to be shining just a bit brighter, the sky just that much bluer, even the chirping of birds just a little more harmonious. Today is one of those days that nothing, absolutely nothing could possibly wreck. The domestic life is something she hadn't really planned on enjoying this much, the entire thought of having a family surrounding her was a dream let go decades back.

Yet here she is, sitting on a soft cream couch, thumbing through a national geographic magazine (the one she's been waiting what feels to be an eternity for just because there is an elephant highlight in it), sipping on a glass of red wine waiting for her family to come home for dinner, a dinner she's made.

No, Maleficent had never thought this would be her life, swapping solitude for society. It's had it's moments. Where the claustrophobic tightness of the town has had the fire inside raging and rumbling to burst as though she's about to burn the entire town to the ground. Fortunately, only a few acres of trees have been torched. Robin (another interesting adjustment in her world) had been kind enough to find her a large piece of the forest where not a soul resided, and she could simply sit in her much needed self-silence whenever her anxiety peaked. It used to happen more often, but she is learning that maybe being slightly suffocated by love isn't such a terrible thing.

In the beginning, she wanted Regina, was happy to steal the woman away from the pain this place seemed to continually cause her. A soulmate had left, a surrogate child gone with him, and Regina had sought the comfort of her old friend, had rekindled this strange harboured love once more. But the thief had come back, and Maleficent hadn't exactly been thrilled. She loved Regina, and Regina loved her back, but she also loved this outlaw and his messy though rather adorable offspring. They'd talked about it at length, Mal and Regina, what this meant for them, Robin returning from New York, and after a few months apart and some serious discussion they had all decided that if it made Regina happy, regardless of how Robin and Mal felt towards each other initially, that they would make it work.

And it's beyond what Mal could have ever anticipated. She loves Regina. She is rather fond of Robin, dotes on Henry, but Roland, the chocolate button eyed, unruly, soft curls and pink chubby, dimple dented cheeks have been her entire downfall. They tease her about it. Her obsessive affection for the youngest, and whilst she still scoffs and barks back a threat about toasting their skin, her smile is brighter than the sun when she hears his voice. They can all go to hell for calling her a _soft marshmallow_ for the boy, if he wants a Dragon teddy bear, well then he is going to have the best bloody snuggle buddy in the entire world.

And for as taken with Roland as Maleficent is, the affection is reciprocated in full. She is his guardian, his movie picking partner, spaghetti fork twirler, bathtime bubble maker, mischievous partner in crime, cookie stealing accomplice, and the place he goes when he wishes to be extra affectionate. He says she purrs, that her heart rumbles in her chest when he sleeps on her, that she is warm and soft, and keeps all the bad guys out of his dreams.

She waits everyday for him to come home from school. Impatiently, with her eyes checking the clock until it strikes twelve minutes after three, which means the god awfully colored long transportation car (Regina calls it a bus….) will be turning the corner in exactly two minutes, and she will be standing outside on the sidewalk in 90 seconds. It's one of the best parts of her day, hearing his tiny scream of excitement as he flings himself into her awaiting arms from the second to last step on the bus. The babble of nonsense that quickly follows, and the smugness in her heart when he begs her to _dragon_ for him, which simply entails she let out a puff of silver smooth smoke out into whatever shape he desires, usually it's a lion, but she's been trying elephant shapes… and he still squeals and burrows his head into her chest happily as they turn back to the house.

And so here she is, flipping through magazine pages whilst flicking her gaze to the clock, and it's nice enough outside that she can afford to wait a few extra minutes out in the sunshine. Robin is in the kitchen humming far too loudly which probably means he's sneaking in a few bites of dinner before it's ready. Bloody thief. As if his ears were burning, he walks into the living room, stopping mid bite as he realizes Maleficent's eyes glinting at him from the sofa, apparently unaware that she was still here and not already outside waiting for Roland. He gulps hard, swallowing painfully against the lodge of stolen food stuffed into his cheeks and does his best to smile at Mal, who simply arches her eyebrow at him.

"Shower sex for the whole week if we keep this between us."

She laughs at his poor bargaining skills, but nods anyway and reaches for the glass of lemonade in his hand. Roland likes lemonade, her puff of purple magic adds a few plump sliced strawberries into the yellow sugary liquid and she is out the door before Robin can question the thievery of his drink.

It's gorgeous outside too as she pads down the stone walkway, noting the fact Robin should probably cut the grass soon. The blades are tipping over, and she is more than accepting to the idea of watching him sweat shirtless in the sun whilst she and Regina watch from the patio chairs, admiring the _view_. She hits the iron gate at the same time her brunette love rolls into the driveway, her dainty little fingers waggling behind the window. The engine cuts off and Mal leans over the gate, appreciating the low cut in Regina's silk red wine blouse, heating at the tightness of her dark skirt contrasting the olive of her toned calves shaped down into tall snake skinned pumps. She looks good enough to eat… perhaps later. It's a grinned "Hello," a happy squeeze of a hand, followed by a gentle kiss to Mal's cheek. All very damn domestic, and Mal loves it, kissing a lover whilst waiting for her tadpole to come home. And the timing is perfect, as Regina leaves her with a pat on the bum and the cheesewagon turns the corner. Her heart skips joyously and she closes the gate behind her.

The bus comes to a stop on the other side of the road which is different… irritating, and has her brows cinching together as she waits, arching a touch to the right to try and catch a glimpse of a mop of curly brown hair. Why it's on the other side is beyond her, but it doesn't make much of a difference. The ghosting sound of Regina's voice mentioning that there was a new guy driving the school bus, a lanky half wit of a man, Horace something… or perhaps it was Jasper, the name escaping Maleficent in its non-importance to her.

Still, it's taking Roland longer to come off the bus, and patience isn't the Dragon's strongest suit. More so when it comes to being reunited with her tyke. They have oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to eat, and another chapter of Pete's Dragon to read before bathtime.

The sound of a rumbling engine breaks up the serene sway of the wind. Far too loud and violently roaring as it turns the corner, a god awful electric green color speeding into sight. She hates these magical moving steel boxes and all the noises and jilting they cause. Walking is nice, horse back even better, there is no need for these metal boxes. Mal's eyes frown as she watches the heavy vehicle accelerate, thundering revving of it's engine, bulky tires rotating wildly as it slices the distance of the road in half, and why the hell aren't they slowing down?

Red flashing lights begin to blink from the bus, a stop sign slapping out from it's yellow side, and still the green car doesn't slow, jerks slightly left before evening out, and she sees the first few children clambering out of the bus and straight into the road, the green beanie of Roland's finally bouncing into view. There are children in the crossing, the bus is halted, the caution lights are flashing, the car will stop. She's been trying to use less magic and learn to trust the workings of mechanical life here, she won't freeze the car unless it's absolutely necessary.

She sees his little hand wave from across the street at her, a dimpled, toothy smile beaming as he calls out her name excitedly, waving hard enough to have his hair jostling back and forth beneath his hat.

She goes to tell him to stay there, to wait, she will come to him, but the car's engine drowns her out, her realization she momentarily forgot about the vehicle sinks in her gut as Roland steps out onto the crosswalk. She panics, her magic sputters and everything freezes in time.

The sound of tires squealing shrieks, stench of burnt rubbing trailing behind with the cloud of white hot smoke as they attempt to brake, but it's not enough, the wheels lock and skid into the intersection. A horn blares out horrendously, a shrill scream pierces the air, a horrid smack of something onto somewhere, and a Captain America backpack flies into the air. The entire time Maleficent is frozen to the stop, eyes locked onto the green beanie that floats for a half moment in the sky and sways to the ground a few yards away and everything goes deadly silent.

No one moves, stunned for a tense, disbelieving second, scattered about the street, around the green smoking car, air bags deployed and horn still ringing. His name drops terrified from her lips, and all hell breaks loose.

She runs, bellowing out for him, her magic stampeding back into her veins as her feet hit the hot pavement. Stunned pairs of wide eyes follow her between the crowd that has begun to conglomerate around the crumpled hood of the car. Someone is calling out for help, a small girl is crying off to the side, and still there is no Roland leaping out from safety towards her.

Her lungs burn, mouth agape though no air sucks in, eyes wild in her search for him, she just needs to see him, his big brown, button eyes sparkling up at her, the giggling that starts at the base of his belly, she just need to find him. Safe and unharmed.

It's a chorus of fear and panic, screams and sobs, her dragon enhanced senses being overloaded with the alarming terror swimming in the crowd. It makes her ears ring at their high pitched wailing, nose inhaling the overwhelming burning smell of rubber tires scorched by the pavement. Her usually hot skin chills and prickles with a sense of foreboding dread. Her irritation flares at the stifling amount of people bashing frantically into her, slowing her progress in finding him. She hauls a few people off to the side, uncaring of their outburst, quickening her pace as the crowd finally parts, revealing the smoking crumpled green car crunched against a tree, still blaring on it's horn, and she can see the driver slumped into the airbag, squashing the wheel, groaning as he beings to come too.

"Roland?! Roland, where are you?!"

Her heart plays with the fine line of hysteria when he doesn't answer back.

"He's under there!"

 _What the fuck does that mean? Under where? Under what?_

"Oh shit! Someone get help!"

She sees a teenage boy bending at the front of the car, and the entire fire of the dragon inside recoils into an ice block as her eyes finally find what she's been searching for. Beneath its mechanical belly, a small fist crooks out awkwardly, unmoving and clutching a stuffed red stained elephant, and Maleficent shrieks.

.

..

…

..

.

They heard the squealing of tires, the impact of what could only have been a vehicle hitting something hard and then complete dead silence. Her heart sank the same time Robin's eyes flared with panic. Mal was outside waiting for Roland, the crunch sounded horribly like a car crash, and Regina's blood runs cold at the thought, there are children outside. Setting her coffee cup down as gently as possible with the trembling in her hands, she turns on her heel, Robin behind her instantly as they open the front door. It's chaos that meets Regina's eyes, an absolute pandemonium of children screaming and crying, parents flooding out into the street, the smell of burnt tar swirling into the dark grey cloud of smoke just beyond the crowd.

 _Keep calm, Regina, panicking will only make things worse. Breathe and just figure out what happened. They are both okay, it's going to be okay._

Her mind cycles the mantra, but her gut feels like a hot stone is burning her alive with fear as she and Robin step onto the pavement, and her blood freezes at the torn scream of a voice she knows down to her core. They run as the sound of an ambulance siren blares in the distance, the crowd parting instantly as Regina shoves them aside.

Mal is there, on the ground and for a moment Regina's heart falters thinking maybe she is hurt, maybe her scream was in pain, but the closer her heels bring her to the carnage the worse her gut wrenches. She is sobbing uncontrollably when they reach the Dragon, and Robin lets out a heavy, "Oh fuck," when they see what she clawing under the car for.

It's Roland. His arm is barely visible underneath the crunched, smoking metal, the elephant he carries everywhere with him stained bloody in his limp fist. "Mal! Mal, what happened!" Regina bellows out, kneeling beside the blonde whose hands are ripping at the pavement.

"Oh God. Fucking Christ. Someone get help!"

Mal doesn't even recognize them beside her, her attention focused on getting her little dragon out from beneath the vehicle. Her eyes burn with tears as she calls over and over again for him, panic overtaking her mind as she slams her shoulder into the door, heaving with as much force through a screeching roar. It doesn't budge. Not until she feels Robin and Regina on either side of her, pushing and lifting the car with every ounce of force they can muster. It begins to lift slowly, creaking and cracking through the blinding haze of smoke.

His brown jacket comes into view, tattered and torn. The mop of curly hair slumped about his face, hiding him from Mal's eyes. He doesn't move. Doesn't respond. Laying there horrendously still. Her hands grip around his arm and she tugs gently, but his pants are caught on something and Mal cries out terror stricken. "Roland! My little Dragon, can you hear me? Please say something! Roland!"

The car flips on it's side and Roland's little body is unveiled, legs at an awkward angle, blood pooling around his face, matting his hair and the tar road below. Mal slings her arms around his body and hauls him out of the wreckage. He's limp in her arms.

"Is he breathing?! Mal? Is he… is he alive?" Robin stammers on his fallen knees beside her, running his palm over his son's pallored face. Tears coat her cheeks as she tries to rouse him, shaking him gently as she whispers into his ear for him to open his eyes, she just needs to see his beautiful brown, chocolate button eyes.

"Roland? Baby? Can you hear us?"

"Roland?"

There is nothing and Mal's heart shatters into a thousand bleeding pieces as her fingers search for his pulse under his chubby jaw.

"The ambulance is here!" Someone calls out, but they don't move, Mal doesn't dare relinquish her grip on her tadpole. He will be fine. He has to be fine. There is no way in hell she is letting him die. Not now. Not ever.

"Come back to me." She presses a kiss to his forehead and lets her magic flow from her heart and into his broken, bloodied, barely breathing body.

Warmth. Hot stifling electric waves pulse through her body, latching into him, seeping into each broken vein, every shattered bone from the tip of his toes to the lump in his skull. Regina's hand grabs her own and she feels her own magic thumping into her, vortexing in with the light she holds, and Regina's thoughts begin to flow into Mal's mind and magic.

 _Roland, my little knight. Baby, we need you to come back to us. Breathe for us, baby. I know you can do it._

Together they stitch together the lacerations that bleed. Bind the bones that splinter awkwardly through delicate, soft skin.

 _Little Dragon, beat that heart of yours for me. We have cookies to eat, I made you oatmeal chocolate chip, your favorite, and you know I can't eat them all myself. Come on, sweet love, open your eyes for me._

They fill his lungs with air, his heart with love, pouring in every ounce they have for this little outlaw that has stolen their entire souls. Robin's hand rests on Mal's lower back, his other brushing back fallen locks of hair as he too whispers for his son to be strong, to be brave, he's a merry man and they need him.

It takes forever, an eternity that ticks by slow as molasses, and Mal's eyes begin to water when he still doesn't move as their magic slowly ebbs away, healing everything they can possibly touch and the hot wet tears fall down onto her cheeks when his eyes still do not crack open for her.

Regina stifles a sob into Mal's shoulder, whispering out his name, a hand thumbing gently over his ribs. The paramedics are beside them suddenly, kneeling down quietly as they look over the injured boy, opening his coat button by button though Mal still holds him into her lap, combing through his blood soaked matted hair. He's so small, so unbelievably tiny and precious to her, to all of them.

Silence surrounds them all as they wait, the paramedics slowly cutting away his shirt and placing ecg pads to his little torso. "We need to get him to the hospital." One of them comments gently, reaching out for him, but Mal is possessive of the little one, her little one. She shakes her head and leans over his body, her tears dropping onto his forehead and both Regina and Robin cradle them all tight together.

"Mellie?" A soft quiet cough breaks the awful silence as little brown eyes flicker behind lashes and finally open.

"Hi, little dragon." She smiles, cries harder, if that's possible, but it's from relief. Robin heaves a heavy breath, cradles his son's head as he breathes out his name gently, Regina doing the same as they all sigh out a tense, happy breath.

"Can we still have cookies?" He sniffles in Maleficent's lap.

"Of course we can, you can eat them all."

"But you like them too."

"I'll make us more."

Six hours later their entire family is curled up on the couch, stuffed shoulder to thigh, squished into the cushions, but space is not needed, not right now, never again as Mal's soft voice reads out the words to his favorite book, the last words, "And the little dragon family lived happily ever after," resonating far greater than ever before as Roland finally nods off to sleep, healthy and here with them.

Family after all is the most important thing.

(...uhhhh don't be too angry with me... I WAS FORCED! **inserts smug smile***)


	71. DOQ Day 3 - First Time

She lived in the Enchanted Forest and then was a ghostly corpse for most of her time here in Storybrooke, so how the hell she was supposed to know what this water contraption did was beyond her. But apparently she is too dirty to get into Regina's silk sheets, Robin attaining much the same grunt from the brunette. It's not their fault, they worked for hours outside in the heat, sweating in the dirt and grime because Regina decided some _gardening_ was good for all of them. Eases the mind she'd said. Calms the soul she'd proclaimed. And no magic. That was the rule. They were to work like peasants in the ground, flower potting, mulch grinding, lawn mowing. And while Maleficent doesn't mind seeing the sweet sheen of perspiration on Regina's breasts, nor the clinging of dampness on Robin's bare torso, she doesn't exactly appreciate the wet beading on her own back.

Normally she'd magic herself brand new, spick and span clean without having to fiddle with unknown appliances to wash away the day's work, but Regina is adamant she will love this "shower". So here she stands, stark naked in front of charcoal and white tiles, a silver faucet staring down at her, and it feels wrong. Surely she can just clean herself up and not have to go through this hassle. Smoke steams from her nostrils in irritation when Regina chuckles and leans into the glass contraption, musing about how _this way makes it hotter, this way cooler_ , things Maleficent doesn't give two shits about.

"Robin! You to! Come on. Neither of you are getting into my bed riddled with dirt." Regina smacks her lips, eyeing up the outlaw behind the glass, half undressed before her. He's had the shower experience before, quite enjoys it actually, and is less dramatic when being "forced" to rinse off… especially when there is an equally naked Regina in the cubicle with him. He smiles, and slides the glass door closed behind him, hands settling gently on Mal's soft, wide hips as she backs fractionally into him with a scowl at the tapestry.

"Ready?"

"I don't understand why we have to be in this infernal thing and you get to stand out there." Mal snides from the side eyeing she throws grumpily at Regina. The brunette's chuckle aggravates the dragon even more as she watches slender olive fingers twist the bottom silver handle…"Jesus! What the hell!?" Mal scrambles back from the invasive waterfall, clambering behind Robin who laughs and turns her back into the stream with amused dimples breaching his stubble. It's a good thing he is handsome or the way he is manhandling her back into the water would in her past have his head on a spike.

It's cold at first, strikingly so, but Mal runs hot in her veins. "Turn it up dammit, it's bloody freezing." She barks at Regina but relents to the cascade drizzling down her scalp and onto her bare back. Slowly but surely it begins to warm, wraps the Dragon in a soothing bubble of heat, Robin's hands paying their dues on her body as they trail up and down her ribs, across her back and stepping into her personal space so his own dirt speckled chest can feel the spray.

Her eyebrows arch at the water that trails down his muscular chest, through the carved valley of his abdomen and down into the V of his hips. It's rather tantalizing… arousing even. Perhaps this is why Regina claims, "shower time is her favorite." It's understandable. Robin naked and wet. Herself naked and wet. It's delectably easy to touch his bare skin without a barrier between them. Humming as the water flares up a touch warmer, she sees Robin's smug smile as he leans into her, nuzzling along her neck, his hands wander lower than publicly acceptable, cupping her backside with a hefty appreciative squeeze.

Yes. Maybe she could get used to this.

Tilting her head back so the water can run over her face, down her freckled neck and between her plump breasts she finds herself sighing, giving into the sensation of hands and liquid, wetness not necessarily only from the spout but from somewhere far more south. Purring into the affections he places on her naked chest, she relents, reaches around and _Oh!_.. well now, this is delightful isn't it… having Regina's hands lace into her own from behind Robin.

Their eyes meet above his shoulder, a husky darkness capturing curious sapphire and a small smirk on pouting pink lips. "Enjoying yourself?" Regina cooes wolfishly as her palms slide around Robin's hips, scratching gently over Maleficent's soft stomach.

"I'm still deciding." She plays back, pressing herself into Robin, reaching for Regina who crawls around his hips and moves to stand in front of him. She can hear his throaty groan, a sound that has her thighs clenching a touch tighter, but Regina licks her lips at the same second, and Mal has resolve, but only to a point.

They shift until Mal is between both of them, back to Regina, front to Robin, hands colliding and wandering about, lips, mouths, teeth and tongues following the absent path of their palms. A cool substance sludges onto her shoulders and before she can question as to what the chilled substance is, Regina is roaming her naked body over with a spongy purple thing, smoothing the liquid around until it bubbles and slides off from the hot water. This is bliss. This is heaven. It has to be. And perhaps "shower time" can become one of her favorite things as well… so long as she has both of them in here with her, naked, heavy breathing and slick between their thighs.


	72. DOQ Day 4 - Always

**Day 4 - Missing Year with Maleficent.**

"I don't understand why you are being so stubborn."

"And I don't know why you are still here grinding me about this."

"You know why!"

"It's none of your business!"

She fumes, smoke filling her lungs, "Regina."

"What, Mal?" Brown eyes fly open, and for a second she is caught off guard by the look in her eyes, something that softens the Dragon's sharp scales. Sighing she sits down beside her on the chaise, watching her as she watches the sun begin to set behind the mountains. The orange amber glow illuminates her face, draws a painted pained picture across olive skin.

"Regina, why are you scared?"

"I'm not."

Rolling her eyes, she tilts the Queen's face towards her with a single delicate finger on her chin. "You forget I know you. Tell me what is keeping you from this." They lock eyes, bright, sapphire blue gentle and soft holding anxious brown hickory. Regina licks her lips, fumbles with her hands in her lap. Mal is right, she does know her better than probably anyone, an irritating, aggravating, but somewhat endearing notion. But she can't do what the Dragon is suggesting. She just can't.

"If you are afraid that it isn't reciprocated, you are blind, little one."

Regina scoffs, darting her eyes back out to the horizon, avoiding looking just below to the lake where she can see him playing in the chilled glass water with his son. Mal had been the one to see if first, that damn tattoo Regina had confided in her about decades ago, a life she had run away from. She'd dried her tears on the Dragon's silk robe that night, had spent hours in silence wondering if she had done the right thing as fingers scratched at the nape of her neck until sleep had finally taken her. But now… now she has no idea what to do. He's prickly at times, but bloody gorgeous with that infuriating smirk, a wonderful father, a proud leader, a body she craves to touch. It's all just down right annoying.

"I don't know, Mal."

"What don't you know?"

"I don't see what you see."

It's a blatant lie. She knows it. Between dark corridors she has found herself in rather compromising positions with the thief, has felt his hands grip and run along her skin, his eyes burn into her during council meetings. They are playing a dangerous game, hiding in the shadows, the sound of her tight moans swallowed by his mouth on her lips. It's physical. That's all it can be. But lately, he's been acting different, not necessarily in a bad way, but in that way that makes her question the butterflies that erupt in her stomach at the mere mention of his name. He's softer with her, says things that make her heart hammer, they talk more and more about the smallest of things, his kisses even hold a different taste to them and it makes her incredibly nervous.

"Allow me to enlighten you then." Mal chuckles beside her teasingly. "I spoke to him."

"You what?"

The Dragon shrugs, "The two of you are beyond irritating in avoiding the topic so I figured I'd intervene on your behalf."

"You and the bloody fairy need to get a life."

"I'd much rather entertain myself with yours."

"My sex life is none of your business."

"True. Though once upon a time it was."

Regina flushes at that, burns red hot in her cheeks when Mal presses a light kiss to her temple before whispering out, "However, I am more concerned these days about the treatment of your heart."

"Mal…"

"He has a kind soul, Regina."

"I know that."

"So do you."

"Well that we will have to disagree on."

"You forget little one that I have seen the person you were before the darkness claimed you."

"That was a long time ago."

"And yet, fate has presented you with a second chance."

Regina fiddles, bites down on her lip and flicks her gaze to Mal. "What if he—"

"He doesn't."

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"You were thinking, _what if he doesn't feel the same._ And the answer is you are incredibly wrong." She smiles, "He spoke very fondly of you. How he has this tug in his heart to be near you, wants nothing more than to just simply sit beside you and hear your voice." Regina's heart flutters. "It's rather nauseating actually, how much he longs for you to be his."

"He said that?"

"In many more words, but yes."

A babble of distant laughter hits Regina's ears, and she lets herself linger on father and son for a moment, wondering if they could be hers too.

"You should talk to him."

"What would I even say? Hi, I'm the Evil Queen and I think I am in love with you. Not to mention that we are destined soulmates and I ran from you once upon a time."

Mal's eyebrow arches high, a small smile playing on her lips.

"What?"

"You love him."

Dammit. Had she said that? It's not true… well okay, maybe it is true, but that was supposed to be a guarded secret for just her and her heart. She huffs out an embarrassed breath as Mal chuckles into her hair, playing with the ends of it between her fingers, "Be brave, Regina, I promise you there is no heartbreak to be found within the outlaw."

Maleficent stands, leaves Regina with her confused, wondering thoughts, and lets purple smoke vacate her from the Queen's chambers. The silence is charged as she watches Robin pick up his son, throw him high into the air before swinging him back down into his arms, they are beautiful together, and maybe she could do it.

She lets her magic move her to the top of the hill, beside a solid oak, a few feet away from them.

"Regina!" Roland cries out happily at her sudden appearance, scrambling down from his father's arms and stampeding towards her. She catches him as he throws himself into her body, let's his giddy, sweet nature ease her nerves as Robin walks towards them, smiling _that_ smile.

"Hello, M'lady."

"Hi."

They hold each others gaze for a moment, anxiety bubbling in her spine as he closes the distance, runs a hand through his boy's unruly curls and waits for her to say something. But she doesn't know what to say. Can't exactly blurt out that she loves him right here in the open, even if there is no one else around but them.

"Regina, wanna come catch fish with me and papa?"

His eyes are button brown and hopeful as he stares up at her, gripping the blue velvet of her dress, and she can't say no to him, his dimples are her kryptonite. "I'd love to." She nuzzles into his cheek, planting a wet kiss to his rosy smile. His enthusiastic, _Yes!_ , and wriggling has her letting him down gently, her hand being tugged on as he leads her back to the water, Robin chuckling and following beside them.

"We can cook them over the campfire tonight! Will you stay with us, Regina?" The little boy babbles beside her, and she lets her eyes wander to Robin's who is looking at her curiously. Her heart flips at the question, she knows Roland means for dinner, but something inside her finds the opening in it, will she stay with them forever? Her fingers lace into Robin's and she can see it in his eyes he is thinking the same thing, will she choose them? Choose him?

The word falls before she can stop it, her heart taking a leap of faith for the first time.

"Always."

Robin's smile rivals the sun, the way his chest expands and lets out a relieved, hopeful breath, and she can't help her smile in return as he leans in, brushing a fallen lock of hair behind her ear, and rests his forehead against her. "You mean it? You will stay with us?" His question ghosts around her lips, his blue eyes locked onto hers as she nods, closes the fractional distance between them and kisses him softly, soaking in the hope that floods her body.

She pulls back, "But only if you want that." _Want me._

He smiles, and tugs her back in, breathing out quietly between them, "Always."


	73. DOQ Day 5 - Teach Me That

**Day 5: Teach Me**

She's had a bad day. They both can tell the second the door slams a bit too harshly, the wooden frame shaking in her thunder, and the sound of her shoes clattering to the ground, kicked off into a corner of the foyer, an uncharacteristic move of their rather OCD lover. Maleficent sips her wine glass, eyeing Robin curiously as he stares at the kitchen doorway, waiting. There isn't much that can rattle the bones of Regina Mills, so it has to be something incredibly irritating.

On instinct, Mal swirls her palm, ghosting a second opulently full glass of wine beside her, something to take the edge off.

She looks like hell and fury swirled into one as she stomps through the door. Hair slightly disheveled, eyes wild and red rimmed, a snarl on her lips as she walks past them without even a hello and grabs the glass on the counter, swallowing a large gulp before letting a heavy sigh pass through her flaring nostrils. Still they wait. She won't divulge if they question right off the bat, it amasses to poking the proverbial grumpy bear if you will. Robin simply smiles at her scowl, and takes up residence beside Mal on a chair, clearly turning his body open for Regina to invade if she wishes.

Her nails drum on the granite, ticking incessantly as she stares out the window, calming her breathing lest she set the place on fire. They talk in hushed tones across from her, Mal chuckling at something she doesn't quite catch as she watches the way Robin swirls his cognac in his glass, ice cubes tinkling gently on the rim. She's furious. But just seeing them seems to be somewhat of a balm her steamy mood. Whisking the glass with her, she pads along the tile floor, around the countertop and straight into Robin's lap, his arms wrapping limply around her waist automatically. It smells like a subtle forest fire in here. With them. A mix of pine and warm amber heat.

Sipping her wine again, she rests her forehead against Robin's temple, breathing in the calm that seems to surround him, she needs it, to find that peaceful serenity right now. Through the ringing in her ears she can hear them talk about their day, taking Roland to the park, Maleficent's first time on the swingset, something about how she refused to jump off and "fly" like Roland had emphatically claimed it felt like. They laugh and Regina releases a breath. This is better.

A third gulp has her nerves dulling back down to a simmer, and she finally lets her eyes drift onto them. Maleficent is eyeing her up and down carefully, a smirk playing on her pouting red lips as she swills the merlot in her glass. "Rough day?" Her voice smokes out curiously. Regina's answer is nothing but a heavy sigh and roll of her eyes. "Perhaps we can cheer you up?"

It's a provocative suggestion, a notion that usually would have Regina's thighs clenching together in anticipation, but she is still far to wound up for sex right now. Maybe later. When she isn't internally seething at everything. Definitely later. They both seem to pick up on her lack of response, Robin shifting to attach his lips to her jaw, nipping gentle as he breathes out, "Or would you rather something stronger than wine?"

"I don't want to wake up with a hangover." She grumbles, because getting disgustingly drunk is rather enticing, but the prospect of a pounding headache the next day is incredibly off putting.

He chuckles, licking a line up her throat, "I was thinking another form of relaxation, my love."

Her eyebrow cocks at him inquisitively, his methods usually do work, maybe she can wheel and deal a back rub out of them. He pats her backside, gesturing her to move from his lap, something she definitely does not want to do. "Come on, Madam Mayor, up you get." He grins at her, Maleficent already rising from her seat, and yet, Regina still does not move, challenges Robin silently with a smirk on her lips. With a happy shake of his head and a, _suit yourself_ , his arms wrap around her waist, hoisting her up into his chest as he stands swiftly, something that never fails to give her butterflies. He can carry her like a feather weight, it makes her feel small and dainty, she likes being dainty… but only with them.

"Wait!" She leans over his shoulder, straining, and reaches for her glass of wine still on the island, swinging back with it in tow. "Okay, carry on." She chuckles, sipping back another much needed gulp of the rich red liquid and lets Robin walk her through the kitchen, down the hallway and towards the back door, Mal following behind them with a blanket, smiling something devious at Regina who bounces slightly in Robin's arms.

The chill of the air has her hissing, tightening her legged grip around Robin who laughs, presses a kiss to her chest and sits her gently down on the wicker patio furniture. "Stay." He chides her as he moves back into the house, the space beside her being quickly invaded by Maleficent and her gracious thinking of a wool cover, draping the soft fabric over both of them as she settles in with a kiss to Regina's temple.

She leans in, breaths a cold breath and lets it puff out in front of her, purring into the fingers that scratch at the base of her skull. And while the air is a touch frigid in the early October night, Mal is a furnace beside her, a constant thrumming of heat Regina soaks into. Her own personal heater.

"Here we are." Robin comes back into view, liquor bottles in one hand and something else in the other. Upon further inspection as he flops down beside Regina, sandwiching her between himself and Mal, it's a pipe. A long, slender carved ornament, and it's oddly beautiful, whittled down to smooth soft bark that is nearly white, some sort of burnt intricate pattern along the stem, lacing down a dark oak bulbed bottom. He taps it gently on the glass table, a smattering of burnt ash dropping out before he blows it off, pulling a small silver dish from his pocket.

The scent hits her immediately. "You want to get high?" The question more stunned than accusatory as she watches him pluck out a few seeds, adjusting the level in the grinder and twisting it back and forth, shearing the greens inside till a perfect puff of powder is all that's left over. He turns, smiles, and kisses the creased line between her eyebrows, a mumbled, _trust me_ , ghosting around her as he settles back into his crouched position over the pipe, packing it till he seems happy. Mal, for one, hasn't said anything, is oddly quiet beside Regina, methodical curiosity painted across her pale features.

With the flat tip of the pipe smacked between his lips, Robin turns to both of them, arching an eyebrow, "Can I get a light?" It's ridiculous, the way his dimples peek out through the cheeky question, it has Regina snorting back a laugh, stifling it into the blanket fringe tucked into her hands.

Mal leans over Regina, Robin closes the distance, and the smell of fire slides through the Dragon's lips, a dull amber glow swirling out in tendrils stoking the pipe held in Robin's mouth. Well… Regina's mouth runs dry, that was oddly erotic, the way they both just stared at one another, soft fire illuminating their faces. It has Regina swallowing down another gulp of wine. She focuses her attention away from their lips, and to the the way the leaves curl red hot, a sliver of silver smoke twirling up into the air. It burns bright orange when Robin pulls in a thick breath, expanding his lungs, closing his eyes and holding the breath, a seeping of grey leaking out of the corner of his lips before it comes out in a white opaque cloud.

She likes smoke. Always has. Likes the way it twists and turns in the air, dissipating into nothing. Robin puffs the pipe a few more times, rapid little bursts that ignite the seeds inside, the smoke curling about his face before he exhales fully, leaning into the back of the furniture beside Regina, the pipe held out in front of her. It stills her for a moment. Surely the mayor shouldn't be getting high on a Tuesday night, it's not exactly appropriate… is it? Smoking hallucinogens in the Enchanted Forest was a common thing, there were special rooms dedicated for the act, and she did part-take a few times, but, in truth, preferred to be alone whilst she inhaled the drug that calmed her mind. Maleficent is probably the only person who has ever seen her inhale anything but oxygen.

Before she can decide whether a mother of two should be living high a la lucy in the sky with diamonds, Mal takes the pipe from Robin's hand, drawing it between her plump red lips, sucking in a prolonged breath, her eyes trained to Regina's, and she can see the playfulness in the sapphire blue. The arch of challenge in the blonde eyebrow as she draws the stem from her lips, staining the wood with her lipstick. Regina stares, forgetting to breathe herself as Mal lets the smoke ruminate around her parted mouth, thickening and hiding her lips before it draws up in two long streams as she inhales through her nose, the peak of her tongue curling up to meet the bottom of her upper lip when the last of the smoke dissipates. Her heart stammers, thighs clench involuntarily tighter, a stemming of arousal slickening places that ought not to be slick right now, but jesus, when did smoking become so god-damn seductive?

Robin pulls another quick tug on the pipe, and then wraps Regina's fingers around it's base, nodding gently as she brings it to his lips, keeping her eyes trained on him, and away from the sudden trailing of Mal's fingers along her inner thigh. It glows amber as she drags in, a tickle of burning stinging lighting up her throat, but it tastes oddly fresh, far too clean for simply marijuana seeds, and it's exactly what she needed. Her lashes flutter shut as she holds in the hot breath, letting it fizzle out her nerves, dulling the irritation of the day and blooming a happy serenity. Without really thinking, her lips part into an "O," neck stiffening as she lets the smoke settle at the back of her throat, waits a second and lets it go in sequential gentle puffs, and she hears Robin chuckle, surprised.

"Apparently you have a few talents I've yet to uncover, my love." His nose nuzzles into her neck as she lets the rest of the smoke seep out, a smile tugging against her lips at the scratch of his beard.

The pipe is slowly taken from her hand, she assumes by Mal, what with Robin being busy peppering affection to the column of her neck. Her eyes flicker open, just in time to see a ring of perfectly circular O's ghost out from Mal's mouth, arcing high at first, sinking down in beautiful rings. There is something sensual about the way Mal does it too, the way the glowing from the pipe illuminates her features, paints a galaxy of shadows across her cheekbones, the plump pout of her lips puffing out silver mist, it all has Regina's brain humming some very inappropriate thoughts.

"Okay, you both need to teach me that." Robin huffs out, enamoured beside Regina and staring at the floating smoke rings in the air with wide eyes. She can see his eyes are a bit glazed over, his dimples deepening with his inability to tamp down a smile, and it just feels good. Everything. Like a soft warm blanket bundling her up, soothing away anything except gratified merriment. What a silly word, "merriment", to be merry… like the merry men. She snorts at her own inner monologue, hiding her face in Robin's shoulder as her high begins to take hold, her body shaking happily.

"She's gone." Mal snickers, and Regina hitches over again, because the idea of her, the once Evil Queen and the Mistress of all Evil sitting out on her back porch getting stoned with the notorious thief Robin Hood, suddenly just seems absolutely absurd, preposterous and downright hysterical. She wipes away her giddy tears, tries to sit back upright, but Robin is there, cheeks full like a chipmunk with smoke, apparently about to try his hand at blowing rings. But he turns to her, and she can't help the bust of laughter at his face, keels over into Maleficent's side who is giggling into her hands.

The agitation of earlier is long gone, far from thought, and this is definitely what she needed, to sit between her two lovers, watching one try and teach the other how to blow smoke rings, the three of them giggling, floating higher than kites, and she honest to god has never felt more at peace.


	74. The Curls of Regina Mills

Regina's Curls

They have been living together for a few weeks now and Robin couldn't possibly be happier. He gets to wake up to her warmth snuggled into his side, spend the entire day hearing her laugh and hold his hand as they watch their son's play at a park, and fall asleep in her arms. This is most certainly the definition of happily ever after to him. Living together has certainly brought about some interesting quirks between the two of them. She likes having everything in order, a system her day revolves around, much different to the _on a whim_ lifestyle Robin is used to living. But structure is good, and he is learning that it does make life easier, knowing where everything is. And for all the organization she has taught him, it's equal in return in the freedom he gives her. More and more she will willing to take an afternoon off work and spend the day curled up in bed with him just because they want to.

And just when he thinks he knows nearly everything there is to learn about his love, she walks out of the shower, a fluffy red towel wrapped around her delectable curves, ones that usually have his eyes drifting over them hungrily, but it's her hair that has him jaw dropped and wide eyed. She doesn't even seem to notice why he is staring at her, simply sits at her vanity table and begins to soak her skin in luxurious white cream without a second thought. He stands, shaky on legs as he makes his way over to her, heart thumping erratically in his chest as his feet close the small distance and still Regina doesn't seem to pay his shock much attention. At least not until his fingers dance softly along her bare shoulders and up into her hair. She freezes, her usual swirl of magic into her hair post shower apparently forgotten, and she knows why he is behind her now.

She hates it. The untamed, unruly, natural curl of her hair. A gift from her mother who had always tugged a heavy painful brush through the wild knots as a child, slickening it up with oils and sewing it back into a braid. It made her look messy her mother used to say. Unkempt and very unlady like. Ironic given that Cora allowed her own curls somewhat twirl into her strict bun. It had become part of Regina's routine, shower and then use her magic to straighten out the coils. How she had forgotten to do that is beyond her and her heart still in her chest as she feels his fingers swirl a spiral around his digits, scrunching it slightly before letting it bounce loosely back about her face.

It's even worse now that she's let her hair grow out. The wild twisting waves that do anything but listen to her will for them to tame back down. Her eyes dart up to his in the mirror, finding them glued to her head, and she waits for him to laugh. Waits for the jesting and jibes he will surely send her way as his hands wind through her curls, from the roots at her scalp that wind voluminously up, down to the very tips that sporadically splay apart.

Her palm swirls with lavender magic as she lifts it to her face, ready to mask the natural state of her hair, but his hand wraps gently around her wrist, "Don't you dare." His low timbered voice husks out, a tone that usually is only for his aroused state. Surely this can't be a turn on for him, having her hair look this way. His fingers scratch at the base of her neck as he bends over to place a gently wet kiss to the pulse point behind her ear, burying himself into her wild mane and inhaling heavily. Slowly he turns her around, squatting down on his knees in front of her, eyes flushed dark when his fingers slide open her tied towel, revealing her naked body for his perusal.

His gaze wanders up her chest, a smile tugging deliciously at his lips he licks when his hands bring her curls around her shoulders to rest on her breasts. The ends curl around her nipples, hug the soft swells and tickle her skin. He runs his thumbs over her nipples, cupping her breasts with a squeeze that has her thighs slickening, but his eyes remain still on her hair, on the tendrils that twirl about her shoulders.

"I beg you to wear it like this more often." He growls out desperately, nuzzling into so that her curls sweep around his face as he bites down gently on the cords in her neck. "Please." He breathes out hotly, licking a line up her skin to the base of her jaw.

"You like it?" She stammers out stunned and incredibly aroused at the way his hands are roaming her body. He pulls back, carding his palms through her curls, and smiles in that way that has butterflies erupting in Regina's stomach. "You are stunning," He drops a kiss to her lips the same time he tugs lightly at her waves, "...in every way."


	75. DOQ Day 6 - I Miss You Reunited

**Day 6: I Miss You & Reunited - Starts with Mal and Regina in the vault when Robin is in NYC. **

She's beyond drunk, too the point where her brain is buzzing it's own tune, her limbs aren't following commands and her heart is beginning to ache with the thought of him being so far away from her. Playing Evil Queen with these female villains has taken it's toll on her, and when Cruella busted out four bottles of gin, one each, Regina had downed the bottle faster than the burn of liquor could hit her.

Vaguely she remembers lighting a car on fire, watching the flames dance alongside Ursula and Cruella beside it. The muddled visual of igniting a forgotten broken log house on the edge of the woods was next. After that it's mostly a blur. But they'd made it back to the vault, on a offshot transportation from Mal, and it made Regina's head spin for a few seconds, her heels teetering her body to the side until the Dragon's hand latched into her own and guided her to sit down on the cold concrete floor of her vault, and that's when the questions started. Ones she wasn't exactly in her right mind to censor her answers too.

Cruella doesn't play nice either. Lay the accent on thick as she began to pick Regina's heart apart word by word. How could she have given up so easily on her revenge? What's the point of being _good?_ Does it make her happy? Why did she adopt that bratty child? Why had she let her supposed soul mate cross the townline without her? Why not fight harder? Did she even love him? Does he even love her?

Cruella's harsh remarks that Regina's dirty thief has probably already forgotten her, moved on without even thinking about her again had been the last straw. Regina had flared out angrily, through a whirlwind of tears and a snarl. Her palm ignited in a flame with a nasty "watch your tongue or I'll burn it off." following in a rage filled slur. Cruella had simply laughed, tossed back another gulp of gin and waved her hand unamused at Regina, calling her a pathetic fool.

It had been Mal that shot Cruella a dark look when Regina recluded into her safe, hidden room, crawling onto the bed that still smells like him, the one place that is sacred for her. He'd chosen her here, told her that he was hers till the day he died, that they would find a way to make it work, he would make it work, he loved her and they were tied together. Every blissful whisper he echoed into her ears as his hips thrusted between her thighs she had clung to, letting her entire heart believe in every last syllable and promise. She knew she loved him then, had loved him for much longer if she was being truthful, and that dim light of hope had beamed brighter than the sun as they came together, arching and gripping sweaty skin and melting wet lips together in one last push.

Her sheets are cold now though. Rumpled still from that night. She didn't have the heart to remake the bed after he had left. It's all she has left of him, his burgundy scarf and the lingering scent of forest. Her eyes roll in a spin as she falls onto her side, stuffing the pillow he'd slept on into her face, inhaling it heavily, letting it attempt to soothe her tormented broken heart. Perhaps she is a pathetic fool for letting herself believe in the notion of a happy ending with him.

She hears the door creak open, knowing only Maleficent would be brave enough to waltz into her sacred space, and it's beautifully silent in the room beyond. Perhaps Mal holds a tighter leash on the Dog Witch than Regina initially had thought.

"I know you're not asleep." The mattress dips behind her, and Regina wants to tell the Dragon to move, lest her amber smoky scent claim the last of Robin on her sheets. But her tongue is lazy from the gin, unable to form enough coherence to bark any type of request out. She just stares at the white wall across from her, trying desperately to not see the bright blue of his eyes blinking sleepily at her. She just misses him.

Mal's hand drifts to rest on Regina's hip, sliding up and down her torso gently, as she slides in behind her, front to back, knees tucked in tightly as her arms moves to wrap about Regina's stomach and her breath plumes is a soft purple cloud around them, something gently and sparkling that lulls Regina's battered drunken mind.

"It's okay to miss him, little one."

Regina catches the sob in her throat, but her eyes burn with hot tears as she curls her fingers into Mal's. It's much like how they used to sleep all those years ago when she was married to _that man_. Mal had been her safety, her guardian during the nights that had been so awful Regina didn't wish to see the next sunrise. They never speak about it. Those years of Regina's life. Only of the good times between them, not of the terror that followed Regina like a dark consuming cloud.

Mal's heart breaks at the tightness in Regina's chest, the ache she knows pulses within. Losing a loved one brings about a pain that can never be healed. No magic can stitch the bleeding wounds back together, she knows that far too well. And for all the discord and betrayal between herself and the once Evil Queen, the Dragon still just sees the lost young Queen that walked into her castle all those years ago. It's a love she has harboured for years. Dragons are possessive creatures, and love, being loved, and loving in return is their most prized treasure.

"You'll find him again."

Regina stifles her tears with a hard exhale, her voice cracking through a shaky "You don't know that."

"Of course I do."

"Mal he's gone. I let him go."

"But perhaps he hasn't let you go."

The thought is too much for Regina's crumbling walls to hold back, and she cries, hard into the pillow that smells like him, clutches it tight in her grasp as she chokes on her breath and lets the anguish roll out. Blessedly Mal doesn't say anything more, just hugs Regina from behind tighter and smooths her hair back with a soft scratch of her nails. It all falls out, every last heartbroken sob, her tears staining the pillow in puddles as she lets it go.

She thinks of his smile, dimpled and hidden by blonde stubble. The way it would tickle her neck when he'd kiss her from behind with warm arms wrapped around her midsection. The soft timbre of his voice mumbling how much he adores her, cherishes that elusive smile she holds only for him, the way her heart thumps in her chest when he sleeps on her breast. She cries at all the times that have been stolen from them, the years they were supposed to have together, the moments they were meant to cherish together, live together, grow old side by side. It's all gone. Walked away with him across the town line, leaving her alone with nothing but their memories.

Mal does nothing but rock her gently, turning them so Regina can nuzzle into her chest, clutch her grey blouse and paint it with the quiet sorrow she allows no one else to see, knowing that come morning, the tingling of alcohol will have worn off and walls will have been restored around Regina's heart and she will keep it all inside, just like her mother taught her to do. Maleficent hated Cora with a burning passion and had never even met the woman. She instilled this fear in Regina, tore apart a beautiful young girl and forced her into a life of solitude and anger. Mal had never been more proud of Regina when she had told her that her mother was gone, she had pushed her through the looking glass the night of her wedding, banishing her from her life. It had been the first time Mal had kissed Regina, a simple soft sweet thing that had left the brunette smiling a bit stunned. Those had been good years.

They are nothing but friends now. Mal knows that. Has found a peace with what she is to Regina. Can hold her memories close, and just be there as a safety for the woman who holds her heart.

"He hasn't even called me."

"Perhaps he doesn't know if he should?"

Regina sighs, wiping away her tears as she slides back from Mal's arms, both women sitting up slowly though their hands stay linked together. "Maybe you should be the one to call first."

"I can't do that."

"Why?"

"We agreed he needed to move on."

"And what about you? Are you supposed to move on?"

"I suppose. But I don't know how."

Mal squeezes Regina's hand, bending down to find her eyes, brushing back the fallen dark curtain of hair. "Do you love him?"

Regina nods, unable to voice the actual words she hadn't even been able to tell Robin before he left.

"And do you believe he loves you still?"

She thinks of their last kiss at the townline, the way it felt like he was trying to burn her taste into his soul, the way his forehead rested against her own, the shake in his voice when he tried to tell her, the way she'd cut him off before he could say it. She knew he loved her, that she loved him, saying the words wouldn't make it any less painful watching him leave her.

"I just want him to be happy."

"Then have faith in him, in both of you. You will find each other again. A love like yours just doesn't leave the heart because there is distance between."

Regina tries to smile, fails miserably and lays back down on his pillow, his face the last thing she sees before her brain fades out into sleep, and Maleficent leaves a few hours later, with a kiss to Regina's temple and a promise to be back.

.

..

…

..

.

It's weeks later that she sees them together, holding hands on the street, smiling as though no one else is around. Regina had come frantic into her home the day before she left to find him. Had been in an absolute panic that his wife wasn't his wife but her sister. The fear in her eyes so palpable Maleficent was momentarily worried that Regina was about to pass out. What was she suppose to do? Run to New York and pray that he believed her? What if he didn't? What if he was happy? What if he didn't want to come back? What if Zelena hurt him before she could get there? Would he hold it against her that he had been tricked by Regina's blood relative? What if he didn't want her anymore…

Mal had gripped Regina's shoulders, stopping the incessant pacing along the wooden floors before she burned right through them. "You'll bring him back Regina. He will not harbour any resentment towards you, I promise."

"But what if he doesn't want me anymore."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"I don't know Mal! He could be happy there. Roland could be happy there. I can't possibly take that from them."

"They could also be miserable and missing you."

"I'm scared."

"Love is scary Regina. But it is worth it."

It had been with those final words that Regina had nodded, still trembling but only in her hands now, and walked out of Maleficent's door, ready to fight for what she wanted. Maleficent thanks the highest Gods that it had worked out, even if in her heart she knew that the thief couldn't possibly be so stupid to walk away from a second and third chance at love, and if he was, well perhaps she could make him see some sense.

Her interactions with Regina since Robin had come back have been little to none. And while she misses her secret love, she will not intrude on their happiness. Regina deserves that from her. So instead she simply watches from afar, ensuring the outlaw treats Regina higher than the Queen she is. Mal is happy for her. Misses her, but is happy.

So the knock at her door late that night had been odd. She never had visitors, doesn't particularly enjoy being waltzed in on without invitation. Growling she stands from her chair, setting the red merlot on the onyx glass table and moves swiftly to the door and swings it open ready to set fire to the person on the other side.

"Hello Maleficent."

Of all the people she anticipated to see, it certainly wasn't him. Stunned she stares at the rugged man, eyeing him up cautiously for he is still the man who broke Regina's heart in the first place and Maleficent's downfall is holding a grudge against those who have caused harm to the ones she loves.

"May I speak with you?"

She doesn't move, crosses her arms over her chest and steams out a hot breath.

"Please. It's important."

"What did you want to talk about?"

Robin exhales heavy but keeps his eyes attached to the Dragons. "Regina. She doesn't exactly know I am here."

"Lying to her already?" She snarls, the fire bubbling in her blood.

"No."

She doesn't believe him but something in his eyes holds a shred of truth, that look had Maleficent opening her door to him and walking back to her wine glass on the table. He follows, doesn't shed his coat or remove his boots, simply stands whilst she sits.

"I came here to thank you."

"For what?"

"Being there for her."

"And what does that have to do with you invading my home?"

"She cares for you. And you clearly share those feelings."

Mal nods and sips her wine, if the thief knows of her and Regina's bond then perhaps he will be more delicate in his treatment of their mutual love.

"You left her."

Robin swallows thickly, running a palm over his stubble, sinking at the sharp truthful words.

"You left her without even a phone call. Expecting her to forget about you the same way you forgot about her."

"I never forgot her."

"Didn't you?"

Sapphire blue eyes drill into ocean blue, anger meeting guilt and for a moment Robin doesn't speak, and Maleficent is about to throw him from her home.

"There wasn't a day that passed that I did not think of her."

"And still you decided not to call."

"It's complicated."

"That doesn't excuse your actions. All she needed was to know you were doing alright. That you and your son were okay. Surely if you loved her you could have done at least that."

"You're right. There are many things I'd like to go back and do right by her, but I can't."

"No. You can't. So why are you here thief? If it is to beg for my forgiveness for the pain you caused Regina, I won't give it to you."

"She misses you."

"And I her."

"I love her, more than I can possibly explain, but I know that I have hurt her. Possibly irreconcilably so. But I am trying to do better, be better for her."

Maleficent lets her gaze wander over him, her magic fluttering out and into his heart, finding the steady beating pulse underneath. One of the many talents of a Dragon's talent is the ability to feel truth within someone. It's a white soft feather feeling and it blooms out from him.

"I want nothing but for her to be happy, and you are part of that happiness."

"You are right when you say that I love her. Her heart is my only concern."

"That's why she loves you."

The Dragon stills in her chair, the overwhelming blossom of white light radiating from his heart burning her fingertips.

"Regina is a complicated woman, but she loves more fiercely than anyone I have ever met. And she loves you Maleficent and if you bring her happiness then I want nothing more than her to have you in her world."

"You are offering her to me?"

Robin shakes his head slightly, "Not exactly. I am not willing to give her up again."

"Then what?"

"I want you to be in her life. I want her to have you whenever she needs, in whatever capacity she wants. You make her happy."

"She chose you."

He smiles small, "Doesn't mean she can't have both of us."

"And what if I detest your presence?" She bites out gently, and is rather stunned by his answering of "Then I shall not be around when you are with her."

"You do love her, don't you?"

"With every part of me."

.

..

…

..

.

He was supposed to be here an hour ago, and Regina is becoming increasingly anxious. He hadn't told her where he was going, simply left her with a kiss to her lips and a dimpled smiling promise that he would see her for dinner. A dinner that is now cold on the counter and the candles she'd lit slowly dwindling down. She checks her phone, but there is no text or missed call, and while he isn't exactly adept at using his cellphone, she had made it as easy as possible to reach her. Her heart thumps nervously at the thought that maybe he is in trouble, or that he isn't coming back.

Chewing on her lower lip, she stands, grabbing her coat and swinging the door open, set on finding him.

He is there. Walking up the pathway with someone Regina wasn't expecting.

"Hello my love." He smiles, kissing her cheek when they reach her, "I hope you don't mind but I hoped the three of us could have dinner together?"

She turns to look at him, trying to figure out if this is some joke, but he is all smiles as he walks around her and into their home, leaving Regina to stare confused and astonished that Maleficent was standing in front of her.

"You're here."

Mal smiles and nods, "I am. If you want me to be."

She hasn't had many tears in the past few years that have been from happiness, can count on one hand the number of times she's felt this overwhelmingly blessed. They build and fall down onto her cheeks as she throws her arms around Mal, hugging the Dragon like a vice grip as the blonde chuckles in her ear.

"I'm so sorry Mal."

"For what little one?"

"Robin came back and I haven't come to see you."

"It's alright Regina. I understand."

"Still I shouldn't have done that."

"Well then it's lucky for you that I find your company rather pleasing and can forgive anything between us."

"You sure?"

"I missed you as well Regina. And your thief and I have had quite an interesting conversation."

Regina stills and steps back, letting Mal breathe fully again.

"Robin came to talk to you?"

"He's a good man, has a big heart and wishes for nothing but your happiness. Even if he is a little dirty and smells like a forest."

Regina lets out a shy laugh, "I kind of like it. Just don't tell him that." Grabbing Mal's hand she leads the other woman into her home, bringing one love to another who is waiting with three glasses of wine and a endearing smile playing on his lips.

"I suppose his odor isn't so bad." Mal whispers into Regina's ear as she passes by her and reaches for the glass of wine.

It's sort of strange having them both here, talking about nothing over wine, and she can still see the protectiveness that exudes from Mal when Robin laces his fingers with Regina's. It makes her smile inwardly, the way they both are looking out for her, loving her in their own ways, she feels safe.

Safe and loved. The two things she has been wanting her entire life.


	76. DOQ Day 7 - Kink

**Day 7: Kink - Counting Orgasms.**

"Oh God.."

Breathy gasps mean she is getting there.

"Mmmmm fuck, baby."

Moans catch tighter in her throat… just a bit faster.

"Oh fuck, oh fu— fuck."

There, that sound, hot and achy, just like that, keep going, but suck harder.

"Fu— Aaaaaaaaah!"

Trembling, shrill outburst, and absolutely beautiful.

A smug face turns to grin at unmoving stoic bright blue eyes across. They connect, eyebrows arching challengingly as he wipes off his mouth, licks his wet coated fingers clean with a suckling pop, happy humming chest puffed up with egotistical self-contentment as he gestures all pompous to the splayed open dessert in front of them.

"Three."

A growl rumbles in answer to his self-righteous, dumb smile, narrowing of fiery eyes and sliding of limbs over limp sated legs. He chuckles into the kiss that swallows his mouth, groans at the way her tongue demands access to his own, hisses when she pulls back with his lower lip dragged between her teeth. She knows what it does to him, letting her taste after he's finished ravishing, has the hot coil unspoiling far too quickly in his gut, the night is still young, there are hours to go.

His ears pick up her heavy sigh, mixed between desperate little noises no one else has had the privilege to hear, he'd cut their ears off if they had. The sheets rustle beneath them, soft silk sliding over velvet skin.

It's the pink flush speckling her body that has his ego inflating, he can do this to her, make her wet and wanton, have her eyes rolling into the back of her head, lips babbling out incoherent nonsense interlaced with breathy cries of his name. It hardens his cock just thinking about the way she tightens around him. But his erection hasn't been paid attention to, not yet at least, not when challenging propositions have been made over wine, and self-pride had been thrown in the mix.

She claimed she would win, he knew better. Takes more than a few sharp tongued quips and two well executed orgasms to scare him off. No. His dignity comes from this, from the pleasure he can relentlessly give, cramping arms and sore necks be damned, he is a man of stamina, and if a loaded statement poses threat to his title, well then, seems only fair he shoot it down.

That had been about 42 minutes ago.

He'd let her choose if she wanted to go first or not, her retort that it didn't matter, she would finish on top anyway had made him laugh as they undressed her, button by button, teasing gently with every soft wistful touch of lips to skin, fingers along lace lines. He loves this. Being able to reduce her to a wanting puddle of mess, loves seeing the arch in her back, the spread of her legs, tremble in her breathing, the way a white line of teeth nips hard into plump lower swollen lips. It's perfect. She is perfect.

Saddling up to run a gently hand along her stomach that expands and contracts heavily from post climax his eyes trail lazily over the rest of her body, a slight sweaty sheen glowing against olive skin, dark lashes closed shut, creating a shadow over her high cheekbones. Its utter adoration, this feeling in his gut when he looks at her. Absolute devotion that touches him, laces together his once battered and bruised heart with tiny threads of affection. Her head falls to the side, a dazed smile gracing her lips, and he can't help the urge to kiss them, a steady slow tongue filled peck that has him swallowing her happily sated hum. She likes this, tasting herself on his mouth, sucks greedily at the lingering taste for a few blissful moments before dropping back into the soft silk of her pillow.

"You alright?"

"Mmmmm better than."

He chuckles, smoothing a palm between her breasts, cupping one gently with a light squeeze, rolling the pert nipples once, twice, and a third until he feels that near imperceptible arch in her back.

"Hands off," His palms are batted aggressively away, "Otherwise you'll claim this one wasn't entirely mine." The dragon's voice smokes out between her new perch inside Regina's thighs, a dark, intoxicating grin dancing along her alabaster white skin. Now, if Robin's favorite view is looking up from Regina's sex, seeing Maleficent take up residence there is a close second. He can't deny she is enthralling in her own right, blonde thick, tumbling curls that bounce along pale breasts, covering rose pink nipples. She has the curves, both top and bottom, delectable soft skin that burns hot with fire. Her lips are a sin as they sample Regina's sweat riddled skin, plump and red from endless time spent sucking and sliding. But if he had to pick, it would be her eyes that captivate him most.

Like his other love, Maleficent's eyes are the window into her soul. Bright electric blues that swirl and sway into a spectrum of hues depending on her mood. He's seen the fire, the anger, the repulsive contempt for certain people and a fierce protectiveness. But he has also seen the love, the devotion, the undying passion. A myriad played out in sapphire tones. The indigo they currently hold is nothing but teasing challenge, sex addled yes, but she, like Robin, and even their mutual lover still catching her breath on the bed spread, are all competitive people. Losing is not an option, not that Regina can technically lose in this situation, but still.

"I believe it's 3-2 in my favour."

"Only because you started first."

"Well then by all means, attempt to rectify that."

Regina whimpers beside him, a seductive, wanting little moan that strokes his cock, and secretly he hopes that this will be the last one, at least for now, for he desperately needs some relief himself. His fingers coarse through her ebony brown hair, damp from sweet sweat, curling about her neck, she hates it. Her hair when it is curly, a mix between tight and loose little ringlets that bounce uncontrollably about her face. He thinks it's beautiful, her natural curl, and more and more he has seen her let it just be how God intended it, behind closed door only, but it's something.

Sipping the glass of water beside the bed, he sinks down beside her, pressing a kiss to her temple as she begins to cant and writhe once more, hissing and whining those gorgeous desperate sounds as he watches Maleficent lick a thick wet line up and then back down.

"Oh god."

Here she goes.

"Fuck, Mal, mmmmmm christ."

He shouldn't be surprised, it's been five orgasms and he knows exactly what the Dragon's tongue is capable of, can bring Regina up and over the edge in a matter of minutes with well places flicks and nips, hard slurping sucking and over, up and pitching she will go. They voted no fingers this time, seemed unfair given she is a sorceress and he an archer of decades. Mouth only, and it would go on until Regina said stop, not that she usually does.

"Shit, oh fuck I'm gonna come."

He smiles with a roll of his eyes as Mal winks at him, apparently it will end in a tie… or maybe not… with a grin he rolls half his body over Regina, pinning her arms up above her head, pulling a nipple into his mouth, teasing and nipping before his tongue laves over it. He can hear Mal gruff between Regina's thighs, but it's too late, what with the high tensed breathless "Oh God, Mal…" intertwining between the begging for Robin not to stop, and he doesn't, and technically this means it will be a mutually given orgasm, meaning he will still be in the lead.

He sucks harder, palming her other breast in his hand that doesn't anchor Regina's wrists to the pillow above, groaning into the way she arches and grinds, bows up and lets her jaw drop open, a silent scream echoing in his ears as he feels her body go rigid for a half second, tense and curl up, he adds an extra suckle to her nipple and she falls over the precipice.

Sitting back up, Maleficent joins him on the other side of Regina, kissing her cheek affectionately before eyeing Robin up with playful scowl. "You cheated."

"I was overcome."

"Bullshit."

"It's not my fault you are a hoarder." He pokes, rolling onto his back as a soft hand finds his swollen cock.

"Only of the most precious things." Mal strokes up and twists back down, a devilish thing, "And technically you are a thief, stealing is in your nature."

"Reformed thief." He pouts back, grinning through a glower at the blonde woman who simply arches an eyebrow back.

Regina laughs between them, nuzzling back into the pillow with a roll of her already drooping eyes, "You both need to stop betting on my orgasms." They both mock offense, gasping dramatically, before echoing at the same time.

"But where is the fun in that?"

"Go to bed."

Robin smiles, because _bed_ right now means, _give me a few minutes and play with each other_ , and he is more than fine with that, as is Maleficent who straddles across his thighs, forcing him back into the mattress beneath her.

"I technically still won." He smirks, rolling his hips against Mal's, wiping off the scowl that momentarily parts across her skin and back into something much more blissful as she sinks down on top of him.

"I still say you cheated."

Regina groans from her pillow, bats a lazy hand onto Robin's chest, her eyes barely cracking open as she watches Maleficent ride Robin torturously. "Shut up both of you."


	77. Puppy Love

**Puppy Love**

 **(From a chat prompt of Regina and Robin wrangling puppies in a bath. Not beta'd so excuse the mistakes please)**

"No. Absolutely Not."

"Now Regina, before you say no-."

"I already said it. No means no Robin."

"But look at her face!"

"Yes full of mud! She's already tracked it through the house. Her hair is everywhere!"

"You're being dramatic love."

"I am not! I said no dogs."

Robin pouts, his shoulders sinking as he looks down at the mutt at his feet, one who is staring up at him with big brown button _please don't leave me_ , eyes. He just needs to convince another pair of brown eyes to agree.

They found her in the forest. Hiding under a bushel of low hanging ferns, cowering away when they had approached. Henry was there first, on his knees calling softly out to the blonde matted canine who only backed away from his hand further. Robin and Roland had caught up by then, Robin searching his pockets for something to coax out the scared dog. It took a long time, all three of them on their knees, slowly being able to touch a paw, then a tail, a scratch behind her ears, and finally Robin was able to tie a bit of rope around her neck gently and bring her the rest of the way out.

The boys had been over the moon at the prospect of having a dog. But Robin had his doubts. He loved animals, had been a dog kind of guy his entire life, but they are expensive, take a lot of time to train and he wasn't exactly sure how Regina would react to the four legged body invading her home. It had been on their slow walk back Robin noticed the small limp and the rather swollen belly of the yellow lab. She would need to see a vet, and he had a suspicion that she was near about to give birth to a gaggle of puppies. Bringing in one dog was already a feat, but having puppies to take care of...well that was another situation he'd deal with when the time came.

"A dog Robin. You didn't think about asking me before you brought her here?"

"I know. I'm sorry love. But the boys-"

"Oh no. You don't get to use them in this."

"They fell in love with her."

"They also loved the frog Roland caught in the backyard last week. They are kids Robin. Man up and learn to say no to them!"

The pup whimpers at the high tone of Regina's irritated voice, cowers and recoils slightly behind Robin who sympathizes wholeheartedly with the animal. It's no easy feat trying to win over the heart of the Mayor.

"Love."

"Don't you _love_ me."

"Oh be reasonable Regina, it's just a dog!"

"Yes. A dog. A messy, mud slinging, tick and flea infested, slobbering bundle of hair. Forgive me for not falling head over heels with it."

"Her name is Daisy."

"Excuse me?"

Robin takes a heavy breath inward and puffs out his chest as best as he can, standing square in front of the blonde dog at his feet. "Her name is Daisy. Roland named her."

"Great. So I have to be the bad cop who tells our boys they can't keep her and you come out looking like the hero who was on their side. We are their parents Robin. That means we have to look out for what's best for them."

"What do you have against dogs anyway?"

She stills, recoils slightly at his question and he can see the glossy whisp that fades over her eyes when she is trapped in a memory. It's pained. This look that dances across her face for a fraction of a second before she shakes her head and huffs out a sharp _nothing._ But clearly it's not nothing. Her reaction is far to blunt for it to be a simply, "I don't like them."

"You had a dog once didn't you?"

"I never said that." She frowns at him, crossing her arms over her chest protectively. "You didn't have to. I can see it in your eyes. What happened to it?"

"What do you think?"

He sighs, runs a hand over his face and steps towards her, even if she slightly backs away, holding a palm up to stop him. He doesn't. He never really does anymore. "Tell me."

"No."

"Regina."

"Don't chastise me. I don't want to talk about it."

"Was it a girl or a boy?" He grips her palm into his own, forcing her to face him as he looks softly at her. For a second she doesn't say anything, just huffs and gruffs and it makes her look all that more adorable when her nose scrunches up in _that_ way. It's hard for him to believe sometimes she instilled fear into people with her cute features. Still he just waits, brushes back a lock of her hair as she scowls up at him.

"It was a girl." She relents finally.

"Ah. A little lady love. Did she have a name?"

"Pepper."

He smiles, finally getting somewhere as he see's her shoulders loosen at his roaming touch. "She sounds adorable."

"She was. Brown fur, with white paws and a patch of white over one eye."

"What happened to her?"

The weight of her exhale hits him hard, he knows the fate of most animals. You get to love them for a few sacred years before their time is up. But what he hadn't expected was her painful whisper of "My mother happened." Surely Cora couldn't have been so cruel as to take away her daughters friend. But then again, this is Cora, and while he never met the woman, the stories are more than enough.

"Oh love. I'm sorry." He curls her into a hug, combing through her hair she's let grow past her shoulders, the little curls that wave through it another new attraction he's found in her. He hears her sniffle into his shoulder, let's her allow a few tears to stain his henley. She sighs and pulls back, wiping away her tears with a shy embarrassed smile as his thumb swipes over her cheeks.

"I just don't want them to have to go through losing a pet. It's awful."

"I understand that. And you are a wonderful mother for wanting to protect them. But I too had a dog, Gus, a big grey scraggly looking thing, and he was the absolute joy of my life."

"I know Robin, but you get so attached to them and they don't live as long as we do."

"Did Pepper bring you happiness?"

"Of course she did."

"Aren't those times worth it?"

"Robin." She exhales exasperated, looking around his shoulder at the dog that is sitting scared in her foyer, staring at her terrified.

"It will be fine. I promise you."

Her gaze flicks to his, sinking into the blue of his eyes, the safety they hold. Maybe a dog wouldn't be so bad? She loves them, in all honesty. Has always had a soft spot for the four legged creatures and the way they just seem to sense all emotions around them. "The boys have to take care of her."

"They will."

"I mean it Robin. I am not dumb. I know the novelty wears off the second they have to pick up the first poop. I won't cave."

"I know. And I promise that I will whip them into tip top dog caring shape. You lovely hands won't have to go anywhere near the unpleasant things."

Huffing out a breath she moves around his shoulders and walks towards the blonde lab, her brown big eyes staring warily up at her. She is….cute. Regina has to admit that as she sinks to her knees watching the dog's nose pucker and flare as she leans in slightly to smell Regina's extended fist. Her eyes stay locked on Regina's as she leans into sniff her, bopping her nose against her skin, wetting the spot instantly.

Her tail wags slightly and Regina smiles. "Hello Daisy." The lab wags harder, bumping Regina pam with her snout as she claws slowly on the hardwood floor towards her and into her lap, her tail thumping hard on the floor as she curls into Regina's body.

"She likes you."

"Of course she does."

Robin laughs, and kneels down beside them, running a hand over the lab's head, scratching behind her ears happily. "So we can tell the boys she is staying?"

"I'm not picking up any poop. Or doing any of the 6 am walks."

"Scouts honour, I swear." He kisses her cheek. "We have a dog."

"You owe me."

"I'm certain I can figure out a suitable payment, your Majesty."

Regina grins but doesn't tear her eyes away from the brown eyes that look up at her. She really is cute. Daisy Mills-Locksley.

.

..

…

..

.

Well, just as Robin suspected Daisy is pregnant, very very pregnant according to the vet. So pregnant in fact that they are expecting puppies in little over a week. And Regina is beyond frantic trying to ready their home. Sure they could have left her at the vet to give birth, but Daisy was Regina's dog now, and Regina wasn't about to let someone else take care of her. She is more than adept at it...even if she has never been around puppies being born.

Lazily Daisy licks her palm on the carpet they are both laying on. Regina's hand running gently over the bumping swell of her pink swollen belly. The vet suspects six of them. Six! Not only does she have one dog, but now they are about to have six puppies. Puppies that will need round the clock care and watch. Sure, Robin and the boys are excited and promising that they will help, but it's going to be more than that. It's going to be tedious and time consuming.

For all that it's worth though, the boys have been amazing. She hasn't had to pick up a single log nor has her beauty sleep been interrupted by Daisy's morning need to pee. She's a good dog. Truly. Doesn't bark at much, love's affection, is happy to sit quietly at their feet by the sofa, and is very very fond of Regina. Almost to an irritating point for the rest of her family. If Regina's heels click on the hardwood, Daisy is on her heels trotting at her side happily. She even sleeps on the floor beside Regina. Curled up into the soft purple velvet cushion they had purchased for her, refusing to go anywhere else.

"Robin! Do we have the puppy pads?"

He comes walking into the room, smiling at the fact Regina, the Mayor and once reigning Queen is laying on the floor with a dog, "Yes love. We are all set for their arrival."

"And the extra towels?"

"All ready to go."

She nods and goes back to scratching Daisy's belly, wondering what the puppies are going to look like. If they will all be blonde like their mother, or perhaps an array of colors. "Roland has cleaned up the backyard right?"

Robin chuckles as he sits down beside them, patting Daisy's snout affectionately. "You should have seen his face. All scrunched up and _ewwwing_ every single time. It's rather adorable honestly."

"Are we ready for this?" She frowns but continues to gently pattern through golden brown fur.

"For what?"

"To have puppies?"

For all the things in her past, Robin can't help but laugh, really laugh at her anxiety over their situation. She is utterly precious when she is nervous like this. Something that makes his heart flutter in his chest at her anxiety.

"It's not funny Robin."

"Regina," He kisses her cheek, "We have raised two boys and a daughter together. Surely a bunch of puppies can't be any more difficult."

"But what if they are sick, or underweight. What if they need extra attention? What if-"

He shushes her with a gentle press of his lips to hers. "It's going to be fine. You're a wonderful mother. The puppies will be nothing but fat, healthy, yipping little fuzzballs."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Daisy nudges Regina's palm, and wags her tail cheerfully. It's like she's trying to tell Regina the same thing. It's going to be fine.

.

..

…

..

.

She is a mess. A bloody frantic nervous anxious wreck as she tries to soothe her little baby's whimpers. It started early this morning, just before 3 am they heard the first pained whine, and Regina's been frazzled every since. They have everything, the hot towels, the dry ones, the pads and antiseptic gloves and wipes, yet it still doesn't feel like enough. What if something goes wrong? Her heart aches at the mewling coming from Daisy, the way her spine arches back and the rather unpleasant liquid seeps out onto Regina's floor. Doesn't matter though. The staining on her floor the last thing on Regina's mind, not when her little baby is in such pain.

Fortunately, for the past week, Robin has been "Doctor Puppy". The amount of hours he's searched and spent on their computer, his Ipad (he's finally learned to use) and every other book, has been above and beyond. He knows about as much as he can without going to school for it. The calm he has, is the ying to Regina's frantic yang right now. Where she panics that they aren't ready, he is there to assure her they have everything and more than.

Not once in her entire life did she ever think she would be sitting on her bathroom floor, with her soulmate, and a dog, birthing puppies. But here she is, cradling a blonde labs head, hushing and soothing her the best she can, whilst Robin does whatever he is doing at the other end. Daisy keens and whines, "I see one.", and it's all suddenly happening. She is sweating, Robin is smiling, and within the blink of an eye, there are five little puppies snuggled into their mother, a blanket warming them from the bottom, and a half asleep Daisy in Regina's lap.

Robin slings off his gloves, runs a palm over his damp forehead and is beaming brighter than the sun as he looks down at the bundle of fur babies. "They are perfect." Regina grins through her tears, looking down at two blonde pups, a brown and a black one, all so damn small they could fit into her palms.

In her lap daisy whines again, her back legs arching stiffly. "Appears we have one more." Robin grins and moves back down to his position, gloves being snapped back onto his wrists. Regina does her best to keep Daisy calm, but childbirth in any form can't be pleasant. "It's okay baby girl, almost done, almost there." She breathes out the mantra quietly as Robin spends an inordinate amount of time trying to coax the last little pup out. "What's wrong?" She frowns at Robin's equal expression as he sits back on his heels with a blanket wrapped around a tiny form. "It's not moving."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know."

"Oh God." She shifts Daisy in her lap, moves on her knees towards Robin, and peers down at the still bundle of soft blue blanket. "Is it…"

"I'm not sure. Here, you try."

The blanket is passed between them before Regina can calm her wild nerves. It's so light. So tender and small in her hands as she turns the flap open and looks down at a jet black pup unmoving.

"Hello little one." She coos softly, running her fingers over the bridge of his tiny button nose, up across the closed eyes and to the small tiny ears. "Be strong baby, come on. I know you can do it." They wait, Regina still running her hands over the puppy's face as Robin cups it's small behind in the blanket. Daisy beside them whines and tips her head up, and Regina moves the little pup to her nose, letting mother sniff and smell her last tiny baby. "Regina look."

The bare fraction of a itty-bitty paw stretches out of the blanket, a tiny whimper following as the pup finally yawns and begins to squirm. Well damn the tears being held back, she just cries at the perfect small sound. Robin leans his forehead into Regina's temple as they set the last part of their expanded family down into Daisy's belly, between the other five pups who have fallen asleep.

"Six puppies." He chuckles, kissing her hair as his eyes lock onto her smile. "We are going to need more puppy pads."

She laughs.

.

..

…

..

.

 **Ten weeks later.**

"Robin! Roland! Henry! Anybody!"

God, of course they would all decide to not be within ear shot during bath time. A bath time that is completely their fault. They were the ones who decided that a pack walk in the muddiest part of the forest was a good idea. And damn them all, she was the one left corralling six hyper puppies into a soapy water filled tub that they immediately decided was both play time and jail.

Her shit is soaked, there is water everywhere on the tub, and her hair...well that is another curly mess of a matter completely. It's like herding cats. Worse than. They are barking and howling and nipping at every chance they can. Splashing, squirming little buggers. "ROBIN! No, Opal! Stay!" The brown pup makes a run for it, slipping on the wet tile as Regina lunges for it's soggy wet body. Apparently it's a jailbreak and Regina is the unaware warden. They thunder over her, paws, tails and dripping wet snouts that clamber over top of her and head for the door.

"Regina!"

 _Well fucking finally!_

He stills at the doorframe, the pups jumping up at his legs, and she expects him to do something...help her...but he just freezes for a second and then bursts out into a heavy laugh.

"It's not funny! Help me!"

He buckles on the door, reaching out the stabilize himself on the vanity as he sucks in a breath desperate to quell the ridiculous amount of giggling at what he's just walked into. "Robin!" She barks out, grabbing onto Hickory and Lily, wrangling them back into the tub, her blouse a long lost cause. Fortunately he has the good sense to grab the Opal and Thunder and deposit them into the bath rather quickly, turning on the bathtub tap as a distraction. It works all five pups clamber to the spout. "Why can't they all be like Miles? He listens." Miles as it turns out is that last pup they had received, the one who for a minute in time either of them were sure would ever open his bright blue eyes. He is perfect to Regina. Calm and well mannered. He is her little baby. They are never far apart, the two of them. She loves all the puppies but Robin can see the bond that these two have. Has walked in many times on them snoozing together on the couch (where puppies aren't normally allowed), Miles' tiny head tucked into Regina's chest, her hand over his small silky body, both heavily breathing the minutes away.

"They need to get dried before everyone gets here. I am not adopting out messy little brats."

"Uh Regina…"

"What?"

"Rusty is tearing up the bathmat."

"What!" She turns on a dime, finding one small brown pup ripping apart (kind of) her creme bath rug. "You little beast." Her hands swallow him up, tugging the material out of his razor sharp teeth and placing him back into the tub. He is most definitely the "wild one" of the bunch. Robin likes him.

A doorbell rings and well it's time. She looks down at the six pairs of little colored eyes all staring up at her, sitting like perfect children with tails all a waggling. Her heart clenches. They aren't keeping them. They can't. Seven dogs and three actual human kids is far too many. Daisy is staying, but these six fur babies are going to new homes. And the thought has tears flooding Regina's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Robin's hand slides up her back. She shakes her head, whispering out a sad "Nothing." But he knows her better, knows this look at that tone better. "Come on, tell me what it is that has you looking so heartbroken. I thought you didn't want to keep them."

"I….God." She wipes away her tears, "It's just, look at them Robin." She smiles down at her gaggle of pups, "They are our babies."

"We don't have to adopt them out you know."

"Seven dogs is far too many. I am still trying to figure out how you got me to agree to one."

"Still. The house in the woods is almost done, we will have more than enough space for all of them."

She sighs, combs through the fur of all their fuzzy wet faces, "Would it be horrid of me to say no to adopting them out?"

"Regina Mills, look at me." He turns her face to find his, smiling at the hope in her eyes. "You have the biggest heart of anyone I know. If you want to keep all six of them, then that's exactly what we are going to do."

"You sure you're okay with that? It's a lot Robin."

He hushes her insecurity with a happy kiss, and the pups in the bath mewl and clamber at the lip of the tub. It makes her laugh into his mouth, tearing their lips apart as she looks back down at the six tiny wagging tails.

"Roland's going to have a ton of poop to clean."

Fin.


	78. A First Meeting

**A First Meeting**

It's not his fault he didn't know who she was, he'd never seen the sorceress in his entire life. Knows of the tales of the formidable dragon, but her face, well that was still a mystery for him. So when he had walked into his home and found a woman who wasn't Regina in the kitchen, opening and closing doors curiously, Robin had simply figured she was a thief. Arrow drawn, he'd hollered out at the tall blonde burglar to "Freeze, not another move."

Well she did freeze, for a half fractional second, before turning around with dark smoldering blue eyes and a scowl on her face. Momentarily he'd been stunned by her. While her eyes are sapphire blue, he'd been enraptured by the amber rim around the irises, would have sworn they were glowing like melted gold. Her heels tapped once on the tiled floor, and he'd demanded to know why she was intruding in his home. The woman had only smiled a wolfish sinister thing and stepped once more as thin silver smoke began to curl from her lips.

"Do you know who I am?"

"I don't much care. Now I won't ask you again, leave."

"I'll leave when I wish."

"Or I can simply remove you."

"Touch me and I'll reduce you to a pile of burnt cinders"

"M'lady, I won't ask again."

"And I don't care. I'll go when I desire."

When she closed the distance Robin is sure, but her nose is a breath away from his, the challenging scowl in her eyes drilling into him. He can feel the heat radiating off of her unnaturally, so hot his skin feels as though it is burning without a flame even being near by. But he see's it in her eyes again, the golden liquid that swirls and swims.

She is the fire.

"Move out of my way." Her voice darkens, nails digging into his shirt painfully, but Robin does budge. Swallows his nerves down and smirks an indignant "No." at the woman. She growls, but he lives with the Queen, some petty magician isn't going to frighten him. His palm tighten on the arrow in his hand, her claws dig into the skin on his neck, blue eyes glowering into blue eyes. He tenses, ready to bring the woman down, knowing damn straight she is going to put up a fight. As long as he doesn't seriously injure her, he'll be fine.

"I said move." Her eyes glow violently bright, smoke pours from her lips, and Robin's pulse thunders hard.

"What the hell!?"

Regina's voice echoes stunned into the kitchen, but Robin doesn't dare take his eyes away from the home invader. "Regina, stay back." He growls, trying to angle his body between his love's and the danger.

"What? What are you both doing?" She scrambles forward, "Robin stop! Mal let him go!"

The blonde snorts out an irritated plume of smoke, steps back rolling her eyes as though it was simply child's play she was about to engage in and not potential murder. "I told you to wait for me." Regina sighs, moving between Robin and this woman.

"You were taking too long."

"Mal! I was only two minutes behind."

"Two minutes too long. You know I don't like to be kept waiting." She smirks, and leans back against the granite countertop.

"You are impossible sometimes you know that."

Robin is stunned, floored and completely confused as he stares between the two women who are arguing like they have known each other for decades. But she is a burglar, a thief, a home invader…surely they can't know each other.

"This isn't how I wanted you to meeting."

"You know her?" He stammers out wide eyed in disbelief. For all his confusion, Regina simply laughs and presses a kiss to his cheek.

"Robin meet Maleficent. Maleficent this is Robin."

Oh. Well then. Good thing Regina had come in when she did, for Robin is fairly certain the Dragon would have come out on the winning side of their little squabble.

"Explains why she is so hot." He balks.

"Excuse me?" Regina's eyebrow arches high as the Dragon chuckles out darkly.

"I meant she feels like a bloody fire, not that she is attractive."

"You don't find me attractive?" Maleficent spouts out in an overdramatic gasp. Regina laughs and pats his chest, "You don't have to answer that." He stands stock still as the two women slide by him and into the living room, the blonde sending him a playful wink as she goes by, and from behind when they can't see his arching interested eyebrow at they way they sway in sync, and he has to admit...they make quite an intriguing pair.


	79. Puppy Love Verse - Sick

**Puppy Love Verse**

 **Regina is sick.**

She's a snotty, sneezing, coughing, wheezy mess. Her head pounds like a hammer in her skull, lungs burn from a lack of oxygen thanks to a lovely build up of mucous. Even her eyes feel like sandpaper. "Sick" doesn't even begin to cover what she is feeling right now. "Like Death" is a much more applicable term. Three days she's been like this, two tissue boxes, four throat lozenge packets and a bottles of buckleys later and still she is curled up in a ball under her covers, sweating and freezing all at once.

"How are you feeling love?" His voice is soft and tender as the mattress dips down behind her, his palm burning her already hot forehead. She groans instead of responds, her throat too swollen for words. "I have soup from Granny's for you. Feel up to eating?" She shakes her head underneath the mountain of covers, and even the small movement makes her head swim and vision blur. Perhaps a sleeping curse is the answer. Technically Robin could wake her up once this virus decides to screw off. "I brought you someone."

Her one visible eye cracks open the second a wet tongue smacks up against her cheek, a happy wagging tail and tiny blue eyes coming into her blurry vision. "He's been missing you." Robin smiles as he sets the small black pup down against Regina, feeling at least a little bit more helpful as he see's her lips curl up lazily. "Hi my boy." She croaks out, stroking the soft fur and pink underbelly. Robin combs her messy tangled hair back gently with his fingers and does his best to tie it out of her face. Regina purrs at the feeling, and cuddles closer into the already sleeping puppy tucked into her arms, breathing wet and heavy against her neck.

"Get some rest, I'll come check on you in a bit." Robin leans down to press a quick kiss to her temple, frowning at the heat radiating off of her, surely she is sweltering with all these blankets. From inside her cocoon, he see's her nod, and curl Miles up into her chest. Perhaps a bit of puppy love will help heal her. He stands quietly, and walks to the bedroom door, swinging it silently open and is greeted by five tiny fuzzy faces and wiggling bums all staring up at him.

Lily barks, and all five of them run past his feet towards the bed and more importantly towards Regina. She moans in her sleep and shuffles over to see five fur balls standing up on back paws, leaning on her blanket fortress, lolling pink tongues and bright curious pairs of eyes all silently begging to a place in bed. They aren't allowed in bed. It's been a rule since the very beginning. But apparently her sickness has overridden her usual strictness. "Lift them up, I can't."

Chuckling at the sleepy mumble, Robin does just as she asked, two by two he lifts up the six puppies who all immediately take up residence as close to her as possible, leaving gentle affectionate licks to her skin before curling up into soft pillowed balls all around her. She sighs in her half sleepy daze, "Where's Daisy?"

Robin smiles "At your feet." squeezing Regina's ankle under the covers beside the large yellow lab whose tail thumps happily. With one last look at the bed, he can't help the swell in his heart at the sight, she really does have the biggest heart for puppy love.

Even if she refuses to admit it.

Fin. (Feel free to prompt more for this verse :D )


	80. Puppy Love Verse - Thieves

**Puppy Love Verse - Thieves**

"Robin Locksley!"

HIs eyebrow arches from the sofa at the shrill holler of her voice. She sounds rather displeased. A little whine in his lap rustles the newspaper he still holds. "What do you suppose happened Hickory?" He scratches the brunette pup behind his ear, chuckling at the way a back leg suddenly stiffens as charcoal eyes close. "Oh is that the spot my boy?" He gives in for a few more seconds before "Robin!"

"Best go see what all the fuss is about." He bops the pup on the wet nose and sets him down on wobbly chubby legs, patting his behind as the tyke trots off into the kitchen where at least a few other equally furry family members are. Skipping quickly up the stairs, he notices the gate is open...the gate is supposed to keep shut so the puppies can't get upstairs...perhaps Regina left it open... unlikely. Chewing on his lower lip he sends a scowl at the white plastic contraption. It's not his fault the locks are impossible to use. They all laugh at his struggle work them, something Robin huff's at. Regina calls them, "child locks", but they are boggling to him. Why they even have to use them is beyond him. Useless waste of plastic.

He pushes open the bedroom door, curious as to what could have Regina screaming his name in a rather aggravated tone this early on a sunday afternoon. "What's wrong love?" He calls out cautiously, stepping into their room and Regina is nowhere in sight, and for a moment he wonders if he imagined the whole thing. Raising six puppies and three children hasn't exactly been doing wonders for his sleep.

"Ahem."

Oh. She's in her closet...this could either be very, very good for him, given that where he knows she keeps all her lacy silky things, or this could be very, very bad _because_ it's where she keeps all those lacy silky things. It's suddenly quite hot in here. Uncomfortably so. But it's raining outside...so it's not stifling from the weather.

"Robin." He talks a slow step towards her voice, craning his neck to try and catch a glimpse of what he is walking into before it's too late. Her hands are on her hips, hair a bit ruffled, and a furious look on her face. She steams as he walks into their closet, arching a dark eyebrow impossibly high. "Hello love." He swallows, smiling as best as he can, but he feels like a deer caught by a wolf. The look in her eye is enough to tell him this probably doesn't end well for the prey.

"Did you lock the baby gate at the stairs?" She bites out, tapping her heel on the tiled floor. _Oh Shit, he's in big trouble._ "Uhh...yes?" He lies through his teeth, stuffing his hands in his pockets. She smiles, a dark sinister thing that has the hairs on Robin's neck flare. "Is that so? Well then it appears we have magical puppies." She stalks slowly towards him, did he mention it's bloody hot in here, his sweat pools anxiously in his palms as she closes the distance. She is dangerously close to him, eyeing him up with a scowl. "Walk." He gulps and follows her command, moving through their large closet and _Oh shit...oh shit shit shit._

A mountain of her clothes move on the floor, two matching blonde tails wiggling out from the cracks of silk and cotton. He needs to teach them to hide a lot better if they are going to get into mischief like this, their tiny yips and happy squeaks muffled are a dead give away. "Care to answer my question again." She smokes hotly beside him, her eyes glaring up at him before flicking irritated down at the shuffling pile. "They are impossible to use in my defense."

He kneels down at the crumpled attire, slowly removing two or three of Regina's blouses, unveiling two small fuzzy yellow faces with blue eyes dancing up at him. They bark at his sudden appearance and dive back down into their hideaway. He chuckles at their attempt to escape, letting them burying beneath Regina's clothes for a half minute more before he hears her huff out behind him.

Playtime is over it appears.

Picking both little girls up, they squeak and yipe, wriggling in his grasp as they desperately cling to socks and hems of shirts, tugging out the threads between sharp razor teeth. He groans, a few of her blouses may be beyond saving. "Seriously Robin, it's not funny."

"It's just a couple shirts my love." He laughs at the pink tongue that smack into his cheeks as he stands and turns to face a irritated Regina. "And two days ago it was just a pair of shoes. Last week it was just my purse. It's exhausting Robin. We don't live in a barn. You have to train them."

"They are puppies Regina, they see something and want to play with it."

"That's why we bought them toys."

Technically she is right. And he does feel kinda bad that they all apparently have an affinity to chew on her things rather than anyone else's. He sighs and jostles the pups so he is holding around their pink swollen bellys, paws dangling in their new position.

"Girls, say you're sorry." He jiggles them sternly. "Come on now. Both of you." He frowns down as best be can at the adorable fluffy balls, but they are so bloody cute and fat and he just can't help the small grin that plays on his lips. Closing the distance between him and Regina, he holds both Lily and Opal up in front of his face, right into Regina's, letting his voice go ridiculously high as he squeaks out behind them "We are sorry Regina." Their tails wiggle, and Regina huffs out a small laugh. "You're ridiculous."

He peaks out over their heads, eyes sparkling though he tries to put on his best _I'm ashamed_ look. "You're not that cute Robin." She rolls her eyes, scratching softly at the puppies chubby chins. "Are we forgiven?" He bops Lily's face into Regina's. She's a sucker for their affection. Under all the strictness and aggravation they may cause her sometimes, she is an absolute puddle for their little pink tongues and tiny paws. It does the trick. Her hands curl around Lily and remove her from Robin's grasp as the pup snuggles immediately into her chest.

It makes his heart swell at the sight of her smiling that smile. The one that he swears could rival the sun as she nuzzles into the wet nose. "The two of you are mischievous little brats aren't you?" She coos softly, playing with a floppy paw. "Cute brats." Robin adds, passing her Opal as well who goes without a fight. Regina arches her eyebrow at Robin and turns out of the closet, pups in tow, "You're picking that all up."

"Yes love." He chuckles as she leaves. With a sigh he goes to pick up the tattered mess of clothes on the floor. Hanging them all back up according to color shade as per Regina's preference. He's nearly done, everything folded neatly and tucked back into place when a small growl grabs his attention. Turning he spies a brown tail burrowed into the back corner, bum high in the air, flailing about. "Rusty."

The brown pup spins on the spot, wide brown eyes caught, and one of Regina's rather favorite red bra's clenched in a slobbering tight toothy grip. "Oh boy. You are lucky she didn't find you young man." He reaches for the pup who yipes and tries a quick running escape, bra in tow. And they are so damn squirrely and fast that Robin's attempt at capture misses. He cringes watching the brown furry thieving bottom scramble from the closet holding his treasure as he flees.

Oh he is going to be in shit. The actual dog house. Perhaps he still has a chance to… "Oh My God! Robin!"

Dammit. Well he never expected this to be a walk in the park.

TBC. (Feel free to send prompts)


	81. Puppy Love Verse - Beach Day

**Puppy Love Verse - Beach Day**

If she thought being a single mother to one child was hard...this tops everything. Trying to wrangle them all together in the same spot is an absolute nightmare, figuring out whose collar is whose, and why they don't have the right number of leashes, it's going to make her mind explode. They had seven leashes, well nine technically, but apparently hard woven objects are just too good to pass up on ripping apart. It's like herding cats, but noisier, clumsier and well in her mind a lot cuter even with the headache of three running away, and one heading out the door already. Honestly, why can't they just all be as well behaved as Miles, Hickory and their mother Daisy? Why must Rusty insist on chewing Lily's ear off when she is trying to get his collar to fit properly. And where the hell did Thunder go?

She's resorted to using her body on the ground as a shield for their escape attempts, tying those ready for the afternoon's adventure to the coat rack and having Daisy lay at her feet as another barrier. And bloody hell, why is she the only one getting them all ready. This wasn't her idea. Robin wanted to go to the lake so they could see the progress on their new home. Had beamed brighter than the sun when she initially agreed wholeheartedly until he sprung it on her that it would make a nice family outing...the _entire_ family. They can barely make it down the block with three puppies, but to take all six. He's out of his tree infested head.

Giving Miles, whose sits beautifully in her lap, a loving scratch to the bottom of his black silky muzzle, she sighs and runs her other hand through her hair, banging her nose with the metal clip of the leash, because of course it would happen right now. "Can you tell all your pesky siblings to stay here for one second Miles." He wags his tiny tail against her thigh, bright blue eyes sparkling up curiously at her. If only they could speak actual english words, this would be a hell of a lot easier.

"Lily, let go of your mother's leash." She reaches over, gripping the purple chain and prying it from the blonde relentless puppies mouthy grip who seems to think it's a wonderful game of tug a war. Her little blonde bum goes straight into the air, wiggling frantically as she pulls back with all her itty bitty might. It makes Regina chuckle before scooping up the four pawed baby and tickling her tummy affectionately as she clips on her pink lead. They all match actually. Every collar has a hue toned leash twin. It makes it that much easier to figure out whose has gone missing, and right now she is most certainly missing Hickory's green one and Opal's yellow.

It's probably Rusty. He is on more than one occasion been the culprit and instigator in many a thing gone missing or wrecked.

"Looks like this little monster got free." Robin comes around the corner with the brunette pup in tow, and there it is, dangling from his razor sharp tiny teeth, a green leash that is most certainly not the red he wears. Settling the hyper puppy down Robin presses a kiss to the top of Regina's head. "Almost ready to go love?"

She smiles and shakes her head a resounding no, because Thunder is still missing, and only three out of the six puppies have a leash attached by now. This is going to take forever. But how Robin manages to do it before her eyes, corral all six into a corner, Thunder coming in Roland's arm a few moments later, is beyond Regina. They sit for him, anxious anticipating whines and baby barks as he clips each remaining lead to collar. She scowls playfully at her gaggle of fur babies, a indignant "Oh sure, you listen to him.", mumbling out as she finally stands from the floor and dusts off her pants. "Where's Henry?"

"Already waiting in the truck."

Surely he knew he should have been inside helping his mother, but teenage mood swings be damned, and her son was a Mill's through and through when the surly grip of irritation climbed aboard them. Perhaps a day in the sunshine and water will do them all some good. Roland is out of the house first, Thunder and Opal chasing after him as Robin snags Rusty, Lily and Hickory into his hands and follows his boy outside, leaving just Regina, Daisy and her perfect boy Miles sitting and waiting ever patiently for her.

"Come on you two." She grabs their leashes and locks the door behind them. Now, a dog was already a stretch for her, now it's six puppies in tow, and probably the most stark change in her world wasn't any of the fuzzballs that ate everything on sight, but the aggressively massive black truck that currently sat in her driveway. Robins' idea much to her eye roll, but she can't help but admit that he does look rather sexy driving the 4x4, makes her stomach flutter in naughty thoughts when he dawns his sunglasses and lets a hand slink out the open window.

The drive isn't far, twenty ish minutes or so from the mansion, and she loves every bit of it. Mainly because she can sit in the front seat, sneak glances at her handsome husband, stroke through Miles' soft fur in her lap and watch out the side mirror at the five pair of ears flapping in the wind in the back seat. For all the headache they cause her, seeing their chubby fur faces nosing at the wind, paws clinging to the window sill and tails whipping back and forth is absolutely darling. And fine, the truck does have it's need, her mercedes wouldn't stand a chance with seven dogs, not that she'd let their muddy paws get anywhere near the pristine leather.

With a left turn, the tree's begin to clear against the road and her heart glows at the sight of their almost ready house sitting in the distance. It's big, they need the room for their ever growing family, (something she has to remind herself to talk to Robin about soon), perched on the grassy meadow beside the blue lake. It's a piece of sanctuary he'd apparently found a year ago, had already begun fixing up before he'd brought her here with a shy smile and a key pressed into her palm. He built them a house. She loved him for it more than words could express. And every day that goes by is another she ticks off the calendar beside her bed, counting down the days till they can move in.

Rolling the vehicle to a stop, their back seat goes into a flurry of activity. Stopping means adventure time. They all know it even at five months. Clambering on top of one another, Roland laughs in the back seat, hoisting up puppy after puppy up and out of the car, Henry doing much the same on his side until the truck is empty and five puppies are at a stampede through the grass towards the lake.

"I forgot to bring towels to dry them off." Robin sighs embarrassed beside her as they see the water begin to splash alongside their boys. It just makes Regina smile as she pats his chest and presses a kiss to his stubbly cheek, "So we let them sun dry. I'd like to spend extra some time here anyway." It's far too easy to bring him out of a guilty funk, especially when he is a complete sucker for her smile and the way she laces their hands together and leads him down towards the beach.

They settle a blanket down in the sun by the edge of the sand, Robin tugging off his shirt as he runs to go play with their kids, a child a heart himself as he tosses Roland up into the air. Regina leans back on her elbows, running a hand over Daisy who is happy to just sit beside her, mother and mother watching their children play. She's a soft soul, Daisy, and Regina is honestly though she hasn't mentioned it out loud yet, is grateful to have her. Especially in these new few weeks of Regina's life. The yellow mommy seems to notice something is different about her. Follows her around more insistently, bumps her wet nose to Regina's tummy with gentle sniffs and a soft wiggle of her tail. A secret kept between them for now at least.

Together, with Regina's hand smoothing along Daisy's back, they watch as the boys try and coherce a few of the puppies to come swim. It makes Regina laugh, watching their fuzzy butts high in the air as the sniff the bubbling waters. A few brave enough to put front paws in, a few still tentative when it laps at their feet. Roland throws a few sticks, and much to his dismay, Robin is the only one to fetches them for him. They just need a mother's touch it appears. Standing up, Daisy stretches and they both make their way to the water's edge. Miles it at her side in an instant, licking her calf with a sandy dirty nose nudge.

The water is cool on her feet, blissfully so compared to the heat of the sun. Robin is waist deep in it by now, chilled droplets painting his bronzing skin. In the sun his hair looks so much blonder, it makes her wonder about things to come.

A muzzle bumps her ankle, Opal's blue eyes staring up curiously between her and the water. Appears Regina's found her brave soldier. Scooping up the blonde babe she cuddles her tight before stepping deeper into the water. Opal squeals but sniffs the glass top, her paws bouncing back and forth as Regina slowly lowers her in, holding around her belly as the pup starts swimming in her hands.

It's all over after that, Robin and the boys scooping pups up one by one and letting them paddle about till they feel comfortable enough to venture out on their own. Hickory is most certainly a water dog, now that it's not quite so scary, and is more than happy to go tramping back into the water time and again as Roland tosses out a never ending supply of sticks. It's a perfect day to her. Surrounded by her family, all happy and laughing at the sandy holes being dug side by side, the small crab running for it's life away from three curious noses that follow its trail. Hours go by, and Regina is back on the blanket on the beach, Miles, Lily and Thunder all sleeping soundly beside her, wetter than the lake in front of them, sand filled fur and happy as can be.

Robin settles down beside her, kissing her cheek before ghosting a hand down to her stomach with a curious arch in his brow. It makes her heart stumble as she looks at him staring down at his thumb that swipes gently over the light red cotton tank. She smiles at the touch, watching as the rest of her babies some crawling up exhausted from the beach and slump down next to them. A dog, six puppies, and three kids, her family is growing faster than she can keep up, and soon enough another tiny addition will be making their unexpected entrance.

TBC (Feel free to prompt!)


	82. Puppy Love Verse -Missing and Maleficent

**Puppy Love Verse -**

 **Prompts: Gone Missing and The Puppies Meeting Maleficent**

Someone left the back gate open. It had been at bedtime they'd noticed that there were only five pups tucked away under cozy blankets and not the normal six. Thunder wasn't anywhere to be found, not with Roland in bed, or Henry. They'd scoured every inch of the mansion and Regina had begun to panic. Night had fallen over the town and with his black shiny coat, it was only making it harder to find him. She had Robin had grabbed flashlights and had taken to the streets, calling his name and whistling out for their missing baby.

"Where do you think he could have gone?"

"I haven't a clue, but we should check the forest."

"Robin. The forest is massive, how are we supposed to find him?"

He sighs, runs a hand over his palm, she is right, and it's just two of them. But it has to be good enough, as he grabs her hand and they start walking down the pathway and into the clearing where they've taken the pups before, hoping that Thunder will have followed a familiar trail. She is quiet as they walk between the trees that grow thicker and thicker with every turn.

"Hey." He stops them seeing the tears beginning to form in her eyes, "We are going to find him. I promise." She nods, sniffs heavy and shines her flashlight into the never ending darkness. Somewhere in the distance a howl echoes through the trees, and not a puppy howl, it stills Regina's heart as they run towards the noise. Cutting through the brush and branches, Robin is the first to catch sight of a large hairy coyote, arched and growling at a bush, one that shakes with a tiny bark.

"Thunder!"

Regina steps, but Robin grabs her hand, "Look." She turns to the right, seeing a pack closing in. In their haste Robin hadn't grabbed his bow, and her magic had been finicky as of late, what with the new soft light radiating from her tiny swollen tummy. She could freeze probably two of the coyotes, but eight of them, no. "What do we do?"

Sweat beads on his forehead as the pack crouches closer to the bush hiding their puppy, snarling and pawing at the dirt just feet away. A booming roar above head draws their attention momentarily away, a massive expanse of black wings shadowing out in the moon before the beast lands between the trees.

"Mal!"

The dragon snorts out a hot breath, baring long daggered teeth at the gnashing coyotes that dash towards her. Regina is frozen to the spot, watching the wild dogs attack her dragon, landing sharp claws and bloody teeth into her scales. But the Dragon stays in place, swiping with her tail and talons, snapping at the coyotes that lung and growl at her. "She's protecting him." Robin stands stunned seeing the magnificent beast hunkering down over the bush that hides a surely terrified Thunder beneath. Fire spouts from Maleficent, burning a hot trail towards the dogs who yipe and scamper back into the forest and it goes dead quiet as the Dragon's green eyes follow them into the trees, a spiral of smoke curling from her nostrils as she huffs indignantly at the fleeing tails.

A purple cloud surrounds her, the form of the Dragon giving way to a rather perfectly tailored looking Maleficent, not a single hair out of place as she bends down into the brush. It has both Regina and Robin finally moving once more as she pulls out a curled up black pup from the leaves, cuddling it to her chest as he stares up at her with wild eyes. "Mal!" She turns at the sound of her name, Thunder in her arms wagging his tail happily at the sound of Regina's voice, as he barks and paws in their direction. "Oh God Thunder, are you okay?" Regina scoops the pup out of Mal's hands, stuffing him into a tight squeeze as a wet tongue lands on her cheek.

"Thank you Maleficent." Robin smiles, breathing a much relieved breath out at the blonde he's come to hold as a dear friend. "I wouldn't have let touch a hair on his head." She coos out to the puppy, tickling a pink belly affectionately. Robin wouldn't have taken the Dragon for a dog lover, but the look in her eyes tells a much different story. Thunder's reaction takes him by surprise as well, he is usually a shy pup, hiding behind furry siblings or protective legs. But he whines when Mal removes her hand, wriggles in Regina's grasp till his saviour gets the message. She laughs, and holds him back in her arms once more, chuckling at the flailing of his whipping tail. "He likes you." Regina smiles at the pair, stunned just as much as Robin is at the sight. "He's got good taste then don't you little beasty." Mal nuzzles his nose with her own, kissing his shiny soft forehead.

"How come you didn't use your magic?" Blue eyes quiz over Regina's. They haven't told anyone about the newest addition to their family. Have decided that once Regina is past her first trimester they will share the news. Her hand unconsciously moves to cup her rounded belly, small as it may be, the pulse of magic fluttering within. "Oh, the little one you carry is interfering with it." Robin's eyebrows arch high at the casual nature of Maleficent's tone at the revelation they hadn't even spoken. Appears the Dragon has more than just a shape shifting gift. "She's going to be quite powerful, this little girl." She smiles, thumbing over Regina's swell gently.

"She?"

"I suppose it's too early for you to know. Sorry if I ruined the surprise."

"It's a girl?" Regina breathes out, eyes wide and filling with tears once more. "We are having a girl."

"Congratulations. Six puppies and four children. It suits you Regina."

"What does?"

"Being overrun with love."

Regina smiles, leans into Robin's shoulder who hasn't spoken a single word but his hands are firmly laced into her own over the bump that holds their daughter. "Let's hope she has Robin's temperament." Mal chuckles, nuzzling back into the now sleeping pup in her arms.

"Oh I don't know, I seem to have been able to tame one Mill's woman, what's another going to hurt?" He laughs, pressing a kiss to Regina's cheek who scoffs at his words, but leans into his touch fractionally more. "Careful what you wish for."

Robin just smiles, because it's exactly what he's wished for.


	83. Puppy Love - Little Guardians

**Puppy Verse - Little Guardians.**

She feels fat. Well maybe not fat. But round and full. Granted she is only four months along but still. Her pants don't fit, everything is morphing from tight pant suits and skirts to leggings and loose dresses, attire that doesn't exactly depict stern madam mayor look she strives for. Regardless, here she is, sitting on her bed once more, groaning as she tries to tug on some tights over her newly widen hips and rounded out bottom. Robin is very appreciative of the changes in her body. Not that he didn't love her curves the way before, he just simply smiles and claims that there is _more of her to love now._ A notion Regina scoffs at but tenderly rubs her little swollen belly.

They are having a baby girl, if Mal's intuition is right, which it usually is. A daughter. Something Regina never thought would happen to her. Being pregnant. It's beautiful. She can feel the gentle pulse of magic their daughter will carry swirling about like butterflies. This little girl would be about the size of a large orange, with eyelashes and eyebrows, even a sprinkling of hair. It makes Regina wonder what color they will all be. Dark chocolate like her own? Or perhaps light sandy blonde as her father's. It makes the waiting for her arrival that much more exciting.

Robin sings to her every day now. Reading up on the fact that at four months her ears should be developed enough to hear his voice. It's probably one of her favorite parts of the day. Laying back against the sofa, shirt tucked up under her bra, belly exposed and his sing song timbered voice humming out whatever is on his mind. She adores it.

Robin's touching her of her stomach though is off limits. At least when the puppies are around. Miles and Opal in particular. They are nosy at the changes in Regina's body, sniffing and wiggling at the bump that protrudes from her tummy. Dogs have an innate sense for things like this she's begun to discover. And with them being a year now, their attitudes have only grown. Their wary eyes watch as Robin's hand slowly creeps towards Regina's stomach, barely able to lay a finger on the swell before their noses are bumping him away indignant that he'd even try. It makes her laugh, her protective little babies, though Robin doesn't quite find the display as endearing as she does.

Most days she has two if not three pups curled around her waist, noses wet and sticky as they nuzzle against her shirt. Four children and seven dogs. When did she let her demanding "absolutely not" get completely spun around on her.

Stroking through Opal's blonde hair she sighs, breathing in a much needed exhausted breath. It's been a day. A week really. Of non stop complaints about the new fire house being built. Apparently everyone wants to be a firefighter and there are only a certain amount of spaces available and each rejected application only brings her a headache.

Opal's tail wags as she stretches alongside Regina, tucking in tighter to her baby bump as she relaxes back into the blanket strewn about them. The mansion is graciously quiet, what with Robin and the kids having taken four of the dogs out for a much needed walk. Though it's been over an hour and they should be back anytime now for dinner. A dinner she hasn't yet started. Maybe an order in from Granny's will suffice their appetites. Granted, they've had take out more often than an actual home cooked meal this week and Regina's stomach growls for something a little less greasy right now.

Thunder trots into the living room, giving Regina's belly it's honorary sniff before his slobbery ball falls into her lap. She grimaces at the slimy thing, rolls it off her so it bounces on the floor and he stampedes after it joyfully. It's endearing that they still have their puppy qualities. Everything is enchanting to them still. Energy never expended. The ball plops back onto her thighs and his tail thumps against the ground.

"Thunder, it's not playtime. Not right now okay handsome boy?" She scratches under his chin, hoping to abate the wistful look in the blue eyes that stare up anxiously for another round at her. Sighing, she rolls the ball down the hall, chuckling at the skidding and scrambling pounce that echoes along the walls before her black fur baby comes bounding back into view, ball in tow. At least they are easily trainable. Well all of them except Rusty. He is giving Regina's patience a run for her money what with his affinity for getting into things he definitely isn't allowed to be chewing on.

She ends up tossing the ball for a few minutes, alternating between smoothing over Opals' muzzle and Miles' ears. Both more than happy to lay quietly by her side whilst their brother tromps around with a wiggling tail over and over again. It's not like she plays favorites with the dogs. They all have cute unique qualities that win parts of her hearts over. But these two, well, they are just extra special.

The door swings open and quiet time is clearly over as sixteen paws come stampeding into the living room, her boys, Robin's daughter she feels is her own, and the man himself all scrambling after the jail breakers.

"Hey mom!" Henry waves, wrangling Rusty's leash off of the brunette bull, clearly the hour walk has done nothing to stifle his energy. Figures. He is always the most hyper of the bunch. "How was your afternoon?"

She smiles, leans into the kiss he places gently on her cheek, answering a happy _fine_ as he leaves to go attend to the other pups still wandering around with leashes on. Roland and Evelyn are next, patting the dogs that curl around Regina with matching smiles, as they too give Regina some affectionate pecks. It makes her heart burst. She has a family. A huge one at that. One that is only growing and she honest to God has never felt more content in her life. Well that is until Robin saddles up beside her, decided her cheek isn't good enough for him as he presses his lips to her own, swallowing the surprised moan that tickles the back of the throat. HIs hand unconsciously finding the small swell of her stomach, which only has Miles' attention zeroing in. He whimpers, nudges against Robin's palm, squirrelling until it's only his head Robin is touching and no longer Regina's belly.

"Hey now. Technically she is mine in there not yours." He scowls playfully down at the pup, bopping the wet nose that impedes him from Regina and his daughter. "And how are my girls? Happy? Healthy? Well rested I hope?"

Regina smiles and pats his stubbly cheek. His protective streak has only expanded now that there is another little one to protect. And she adores him for it. The incessant doting, curious eyes at her well being, even if the consistent questions if she needs anything do grow a bit repetitive, it just makes her feel loved and that is a damn nice feeling.

"Well guarded." She chuckles, eyeing down at the two dogs who are back to resting their heads on her thighs though their eyes keep watch of Robin's hands, just in case. "And hungry." She confesses shyly. "I didn't make dinner yet."

"Allow me my love."

"Hey mom!" Roland shouts from the kitchen, "Can we have pizza tonight?"

Her eyes shift to Robin's who just shrugs and kisses her once more, "Sounds like dinner is taken care of already." She holds his lips to hers, carding through his hair as grins when he lets out a whimper at the way her teeth bite into his lower lip. "Perhaps after everyone is asleep, you can give me a massage?" His eyes darken at her request, tongue peeking out to lick a line of wetness on his pouted lips. "I would love nothing more than to spend some quiet, _alone_ , time with you."

Regina squirms under his gaze, knows exactly what this husky blue is insinuating by _alone_ time and she is more than happy to oblige that particular look he gives her. "But the dogs have to sleep downstairs then. I will not be interrupted again." He gruffs, pecking her mouth once more before leaning back into the sofa, scratching Lily's pink fat belly as she saddles up beside her owners on the sofa.

"You corral them. I'll wait upstairs for you."

And she knows it will never really work. They dogs are adamant in their dislike of being kenneled, and she is damn certain that by the time her legs are jelly limbed and her mind all fuzzed out thanks to Robin there will be whimpers and scratching on their bedroom door. And true to every single night since they've been adopted, she will be swaddled in their heat as they climb and garner for a spot in bed, as close to her growing belly as possible before they too sail off into dreamland.


	84. Where the Ocean Meets the Sky

**Mother's Day - Where the Ocean Meets the Sky.**

She doesn't think much about holidays, not anymore anyway. What's the point in decorating and getting excited when there is no one to share it with? No little boy to come stampeding down the steps screaming about the Easter Bunny leaving chocolates everywhere. There are no wide eyes dazzling at Christmas lights and the thousands of questions about a man called Santa. They used to celebrate every single one. From the biggest at Halloween when she had been forced into wearing a green cape and red body suit just to play to sidekick to his batman, to the smallest ones like Cupcake and Cookies Day in June (which apparently is an actual holiday). She loved it. Making little cards and trinkets to bestow upon her little prince. Receiving messy, barely glued together macaroni picture frames and a coffee cup that leaked from its handle. She kept every single one. But now there is no Henry to make pancakes with in the mornings and decorate her mansion in the afternoons with. The festivity has left her heart.

It's only worse being stuck inside these stone walls with everyone who doesn't seem to share her indifference to celebrating today. A day that only makes her heart ache. The hall has been stuffed to the brim with flowers and hanging ornaments, everyone hugging and smiling, giving small tokens of thanks to the women in their lives who have taken on the most important job of mother. And though she still is one, listening to the happy sentiments and thanks to the many women around only makes her eyes flush with tears, and she will not cry in front of these people who send a smile her way.

So she left, without touching her breakfast and leaving the bouquet of flowers she suspects Snow left on her throne behind. At least out here underneath her apple tree there is no one who can disturb her. She can just sit and think about all the memories of her baby boy who is now unreachable to her. He doesn't remember her. Hasn't the slightest indication that she is sitting here longing to hold him once more. The tears fall onto her cheeks silently. What she would give just to hear him call her "Mom" again. That would be a dream come true.

The sun is warm against her skin, the sky bright blue, and for all intents and purposes it is a really lovely day. But she feels anything but lovely, or loved for that matter. A small sniffle has her ears perking. She thought she was alone, had hoped as much, but apparently her quiet sanctuary has a visitor she hadn't even noticed. He sits on a small log just to her right and down the hill a little bit, head hung low, feet dangling just above the tall blades of grass. Frowning at the hitched breath that puffs out of his little chest, Regina stands and slowly walks up to him.

"Roland?"

He turns, eyes brimming with wet pools, nose red and snotty, and Regina sinks at the quiver of his lower lip. He goes easily into her arms, burrowing in tight as she sits down on the log, rocking him slowly back and forth. "What's wrong, my little knight?" She rubs her hand up and down his back softly. His answer is nothing but a hard sniff into the collar of her dress. Sighing she presses a kiss to his temple, "It's okay, Roland. You can tell me." His breath rattles out as he sits back, looking straight up into her eyes. He's a beautiful little boy. Has been able to worm his way into her heart without her even realizing.

"Is it your papa?"

He scrunches his nose with a shake of messy brown curls.

"Something happen with Little John?"

Again it's a no, and Regina chews on her lower lip, wiping away the remaining tears on his chubby dimpled cheeks. "Then why the crocodile tears?" His eyes drop from hers, fingers toying with the jeweled bracelet on her wrist. "I don't have a mama."

Her heart flips over and she hugs him impossibly tight. "Oh, baby, yes you do."

"But she's not here."

Well, he's not wrong. She knows about Marian from what Robin has told her on their many nights walking side by side underneath the moonlight. They share memories only to one another. He speaks about Roland as a baby, the turmoil and guilt he feels over the loss of his wife, and whether or not his son is growing up how Marian would have wanted. She understands his pain. Quietly confesses her own inner qualms about raising Henry alone. Being a single parent is hard. Playing both the good cop and bad cop, and sometimes not equally. Robin smiles at her, admits he probably lets Roland get away with a little too much, but puppy eyes are his weakness.

Running her fingers through Roland's curls, she tucks her chin down, tipping his up so she can see his eyes again. "She's always here." Her fingers press above where his heart beats slow. "No matter what. Mommies are always with their babies."

He frowns at that, too young to understand what she means. Her eyes coast out to the horizon where the blue sky collides with sapphire ocean. "Can I ask you something?" She whispers down into his temple, smiling at the nod he gives back. "Do you know where your mommy is?"

"Papa says in the sky."

"He's right. And do you know where the sky meets the ground?"

He shakes his head no, sitting upright in her lap with wide eyes. "They meet where the ocean touches it." She grins, watching the way his eyes flick out to the horizon inquisitively. Shifting him so he sits with his back resting against her chest, her chin falls to the crown of his head. "My father used to tell me that if you sent something with the waves of the ocean, it will reach the sky."

"We could send my mama something?"

"Yes. If you'd like."

His smile beams bright as he tips his head up. "What do you send?"

"Anything you'd like."

His smile falters at that, and it makes Regina's heart clench in her chest. "I don't know what mama's like." He confesses in a quiet whisper, looking back out at the expansive waters. Her arms wrap around his little torso, tugging him a smidge closer with a small sigh as they grow quiet.

"Regina?" She hums in answer. "What did Henry give you?"

Her stomach flips over, churns and knots at the mention of her son's name. Roland knows of him, that he is in another world, and that she loved him with her entire heart. Swallowing back the hot burn in her throat, she leans her cheek against his curls, "Well, he used to draw me lots of pictures."

"Do you think my mama would that?"

"I think she would love it." She blinks back the lining of tears, unwilling to let Roland see just how much her heart aches for her baby boy. "Why don't we draw her one right now?" He nods beneath her and they settle together on the grass, Regina's magic producing crayons, paper and paint for them to play with. It's been a long time since she's felt this way before. Content to sit in the dirt and simply enjoy the company of a child. She sits and watches the concentration in his brow, the tongue that sticks out as his hands draw whatever is in his heart. Slowly as the minutes drift on, the photo blooms. It's him, holding the hand of a woman she suspects is Marian what with the matching curls he gives them both, standing underneath the sun and a tree, smiles drawn on both faces. She helps him write out a few words, and guides his fingers to write his own name on the bottom, and he beams at the finished product.

"Do you know what else I think your mama would like?" She grabs a fresh piece of paper and dollops a blob of yellow paint onto his palm, chuckling as he frowns down at the mess she spreads across his hand and fingers. "Press down hard onto the paper." She helps his hand turn over, a few droplet splattering on the white canvas, and together they squish his hand down, wriggling the tips of his fingers before pulling up in one smooth motion.

"It's my hand!"

She smiles, kisses his cheek and paints a few green strips along his palm other hand. He attacks the vacant space with vigor, squashing the paint into a messy handprint with a giggle. "Can we paint your hand to?" She stills, but grabs a second paper. "No. On mine!"

"But this one is for your mama."

He scowls at her, adorably so, as he grabs her hand and splatters purple paint onto her palm and presses her hand down beside the two smaller versions of his own. Tears burn the backs of her eyes as he rubs her fingers down onto the paper, ensuring her handprint stays entirely. She lifts her hand and stares down at the photo. "See. Now she will know who you are too!"

His dimpled smile steals the breath out of her lungs. "I suppose she will."

She magics up a quick box for the paper to sit in and they walk down to the beach edge, his hand still painted faintly green entwined with her purple smudged fingers. Rolling up the drawings and handprints in a tight red ribbon, she places them into the small oak box and lets Roland push it out into the crystal blue current, her magic invisibly assisting in its straight line journey to the horizon where the ocean meets the sky.

"Do you think she'd like me?"

She melts and wraps her arms around his belly as he stands in the sand watching the box fade from view. "She loves you." She whispers into his curls, kissing his cheek softly, perhaps confessing more than just the feelings of a woman she's never met before.

His hand leaves her when they part at the dining hall for dinner, and she walks slowly back to her room, picking off the purple paint that lingers on her nails. Her room is quiet, dark now that the sun has drifted behind the mountains. It leaves her alone once more with the thoughts of her son and if he had made Emma something for this special day. Sitting on the chaise on the balcony, her heart aches for him.

"Regina?"

She turns at the sound of _his_ voice, barely whispering out her name as he stands against the balcony door frame. He is probably the only person brave enough to enter her bed chambers without knocking first. How that happened she still doesn't quite know, but his company is not wholly unpleasant. He smiles shyly, knowing he has interrupted her solitude, but sits down beside her regardless if she actually invited him to or not. Whether she leans into him, or he just sits close is a mute point as his thigh brushes against her own. "I wanted to say thank you for what you did with Roland today." He turns, finding her eyes. "I've not seen him smile like that in quite some time."

She shrugs, toys with a frayed thread on the blanket resting on her legs. "It's nothing."

"No. It meant the world to him." His fingers lace between her own. This is also something rather new between them. Touching without hesitation. It's gone no further than simple fiddling with fingers or roaming hands in safe places, but it's nice. Gives Regina a strange sense of comfort and companionship she hadn't been looking for. His thumb runs over the staining of lavender on her fingers and she notices his palm is tainted in a dark green. Her eyebrow arches at him, and he smiles sheepishly. It makes her heart flip. Something about his smile just makes her feel… different. A good,and unexpected different. They sit quietly together, hands intertwined softly as the sun finally gives way to the moon and Regina lets out a muffled yawn into her elbow.

"I should leave you to get some rest."

She nods, but doesn't really want him to go. With her hand still tucked into his own they walk to her door, Robin turning at the wooden frame to scan her face once more. His teeth peek out to bite down on his lower lip as he fiddles to grab something in his back pocket. Her eyebrow cocks at the folded pieces of paper he extends to her, a green braid of grass blades holding it closed. Thumbing over its edges, she feels Robin's lips brush against her cheek, a low whispered, "Happy Mother's Day, Regina," ghosting out. She blushes at the contact, but leans into it for a second longer before he leans back with a gentle smile, tucking a fallen lock of hair behind her ear. She nods, whispers out a, _Thank you_ , in return and squeezes his hand as he steps out the door.

Sitting down on her bed, butterflies swirling in her stomach at the tingling feeling lingering on her cheek where his lips just left, she opens the parchment. Her heart flips over at the two messy painted handprints on the paper. One, small and blue, the other large and dark pine green. Her fingers trace the edges of them, palm laying flat over the bigger one, reveling in the size of it. She likes his hands. Holding them. Feeling the built up callouses of living in the forest blended into the soft smooth skin on his palm. There is a second and third piece of paper behind the painting and her heart stalls in it's happy flutter at the charcoal sketch. It's a profile, of her and his son, sitting on the log from earlier today, a smile etched into her lips that press into the curly hair. Apparently Roland wasn't the only one hiding in her apple tree cove. It's stunning. She didn't know Robin could draw like this. The edge of her jaw smudge out, eyes rimmed with dark lashes, and she can see the sadness in her eyes masked behind the happiness. He sees her far too well. Wiping away the brush of tears, she sets the second drawing beside the first.

Her hands shake as she looks back down at the last sheet. It looks just like him. Her boy. Beaming up at her from the black penciled lines. Her tears fall as she traces the lines of his face, the roundness of his cheeks, freckles that dot his cheekbones, perfect almond shaped eyes that hold all the love and adventure in his pure heart. Even his hair feels silky and smooth along the charcoal sweeping smudges.

She hugs the drawing to her chest, sinking back down into the pillows with a heavy, hard sob. It had been one quiet night she'd confessed she just wished she had a picture of him. Something physical she could touch out of fear her mind would lose the details of his features, not that it could ever happen, but just in case.

Laying the sketch on her bedside table with the other two, she see's the small scripture on the back, gently scrawled in delicate lines.

 _There is no distance between us._

 _For I hold you in my heart_

 _Forever and Always._

The End.


	85. D OQ Week - Day 1

**Dark Outlaw Queen Week**

 **Day 1 - Getting To Know You.**

He understands the soulmate thing more and more every day with her. How two people are connected together in a way others aren't. It's different from True Love, not entirely, but there are slight nuances that separate the two he's becoming more aware. Case and point, he's never been able to breathe quite as freely as he does when she is around. Every inhale seems a bit cleaner, fuller, crisper when he sees her smile up at him for no particular reason and every exhale releases something heavy and full of relief as her fingers creep to lace into his own.

For so long he's been alone, and the world seemed so cruel. But now, it's like he is seeing everything for the first time all over again. It's not all bright blue skies and prancing ponies, Regina is sharp, a bit hardened and sometimes downright aggravating, but he knows he is not much better. They both carry the weight of a darker past, one that had stripped the carefree way of living so many others seem to walk with effortlessly. He doesn't really mind in all honesty, that she has scars like he does, prefers it that way. It makes him feel less damaged knowing she isn't some perfect porcelain doll.

He's grateful for it. That she can look and see the scars emblazoned on his skin and not look utterly repulsed by them. In fact more than once, she'd let him see a few of her own. A long thick jagged line that runs from the outside of her hip down to just above her knee from a riding accident with her stable boy. Three fine white lines underneath her left shoulder blade, from Rumplestiltskin when she'd been less enthused about learning dark magic in the beginning.

A couple that line her arms, marks she'd inflicted herself. Those had hit Robin a little closer to home, though he hadn't yet divulged that part of his life to her yet.

But for everything he has yet to share, she is like this cool soothing palm even when he's not looking. When the pain cuts him deep, and he can't find any sleep in the quietest of nights, he finds himself just turning over and looking at her, his own personal remedy. Sometimes it makes him feel a bit like a fool, needing her in this silent way. Slowly he trails a hand up her arm, revelling in the softness of her skin, the warmth that radiates from her as she breathes effortlessly in her sleep. He loves her. Hasn't told her yet, but perhaps soon. He has to suppress a smile at the light sigh she lets out, the way she slowly snuggles closer into him and hums happily. She claims she doesn't like to cuddle, but it's like clockwork, every single night he waits for it, the slight shift in her thigh that drapes in between his own, fingers that creep till they find a resting place on his chest above his heart.

He sweeps back a long curl of hair from her eyes, smirking at the slight scrunch in her nose as the end of the lock brushes against her lips. Lips he'd much like to kiss right now. But he shouldn't, he should let her sleep. But she is so damn kissable. What's one small peck going to hurt? Leaning in as quietly as he can, his lips press to her own, grinning at the small smile he feels creeping into her cheeks as she hums and leans a in a fraction more. He lets her go, bumping her nose with his own. He breathes a soft exhale as her eyes flutter open.

"Everything okay?" Her voice sleep addled as she combs a hand through his hair, shifting enough to rest her head on his chest. Robin laces her fingers within in own, nodding into the crown of her head. He loves this. Laying side by side with her, feeling her heartbeat thump steadily against his skin. It's that balm again that seeps into him, calming the internal nerves that ricochet about.

He's about to let his eyes sink closed when he feels her stiffen, fingers clenching around his hand. "Robin." Her hand pats his chest as she sits up, eyes wide. It catches him off guard. This sudden fear her voice is laced with as she scoots further away from him, eyes glued to something just off to the side of him. "Robin." She swallows heavily. "Robin get it." Her finger points rather shakily in an absent direction.

Cocking an eyebrow, he turns, searching the tent for whatever has his love frozen to the spot. The second he spots it, a chuckle bubbles in his chest. Tilting his chin back, he lets the laugh escape at the absolute horror on her face. "You can't be serious." He muses teasingly, landing a hand on her thigh. She jolts at the contact, throws his hand off, and pushes herself back even further.

"You can either get it, or I can light this entire tent on fire. Your choice."

Robin smirks through another chuckle, running a hand over his face as he rolls his eyes at the dramatic fireball that blooms into her hand.

"Regina."

"No." She cuts him off. "Don't you Regina me."

"It's a spider Regina."

"Exactly! Now kill it!" She squirms as the eight legged bug trickles its way up the blanket on Robin's legs. How he is so unphased by it, she has no idea, but if he doesn't do something about the grotesque little creature she will make good on her promise and set their tent ablaze.

"You, the once great and terrible Evil Queen, is genuinely terrified of a spider?" He pokes at her, sending his fingers skirting up her arm. She swats him off with a deadly glare, and perhaps he should just help her out. "Oh come on Regina. Don't be ridiculous. It's a bug. It can't hurt you." The second the tears hit her eyes when the spider creeps it's way even closer to her, Robin's heart doubles down and sinks. Clearly this is an actual fear of hers. He feels like a right old git as he see's her bite down on her shaky lower lip, desperate to not show any sign of vulnerability, but it's clear as day on her face.

He brings one of his boots down with a hard smack, effectively smushing the spider on impact, rendering it, well dead and incapable of scaring Regina any further. The sigh she lets go is palpable as Robin swipes the deceased bug outside of the tent, zipping it up tight, a barrier for other creepy crawlies of the outside world. He turns, shakes his head sadly at the way she runs her hands through her hair and blinks back the tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He nudges into her, presses a soft kiss to her cheek before settling himself down and tugging her into him. She certainly is still tense, he can feel it in the taut pull of her muscles, the clenching and unclenching of her fist on his chest. "Are you alright?"

She nods, but it's half hearted. He lets his fingers run through her hair, scratching gently at the base of her neck till he feels her release a heavy breath. For a long moment it's nothing but silent in the tent they now call home. "When I was younger, my mother knew how terrified I was of them. So it became a form of discipline she'd use." Her voice quiet in the confession that has Robin's heart clenching tight in his chest. Regina doesn't speak much about her mother, but what she does, he's come to learn that Cora Mills wasn't exactly top slot for the Mother of the Year award. "There were times, I would have to sit in a room full of them, knowing damn well they were just a figment of her magic, but still, I could feel them crawling all over me." She shudders and tightens her arm around his torso.

Robin chews his lip, frowning at nothing, and keeps his fingers smoothing through her hair, knowing that it helps calm her down. As much as she is his remedy, he hopes to the high heavens that he is hers. And perhaps this is what the soulmate thing is actually about, just being there as the wall that fights away the darkness when the world becomes unfathomably cruel. He can't take the pain of her past away, but he will make damn certain that there is none in her future.

He sighs, kisses her forehead as he feels her sink back into a steady breathing pattern, sleep on the horizon once more.

"I'm afraid of mice." He grimaces at the mere thought of the squeaky hairy vermin, and he feels Regina giggle into his chest as she tips her head up to rest her chin on his chest, eyes all a sparkle as he prefers them to be.

"Mice?" She bites back her smile.

He shrugs, "Since I was a boy."

"They can't hurt you. You realize that right?"

"Yes well, regardless, they are disgusting, far too quick to catch and kill, squeaking that high pitched horrid noise, they just, they shouldn't even be a thing."

Regina laughs, as her small grin pulls apart into that smile that has his heart stumble over itself like an adolescent schoolboy. Lifting herself up onto her forearms, her hair drapes around him, a curtain of chocolate that blocks everything out but her. Her smile doesn't fade when she kisses him fully on the mouth, nor does it dissipate as she returns back to her sleeping position, snuggled into his side.

"Not to worry my big strong handsome hero." She pats his chest teasingly, "I'll take care of all the mice for you."

"I appreciate that." He jostles her gently till they are eye to eye. "I'll kill all the spiders as payment."

"Even the little ones?"

Robin smiles, and rests his head against Regina's, quietly promising to her as her eyes flutter back shut, "Even the invisible ones."

THE END.


	86. DarkOQ Day 2- Quicksand and Concrete

**Dark OutlawQueen Week Day 2 - Adapting to the EF**

 **"Quicksand and Concrete"**

They've been at Maleficent's castle for a month now, a request on Regina's part much to Robin's initial hesitation. It's one thing to be with Regina, but having a second _roommate_ who breathes fire from her eyes if he so much as gives his brunette love a cocked eyebrow is sometimes like treading over already cracked egg shells. But if it makes Regina happier than she's been the past couple weeks then it will be worth the hot stares and stealy scaled third party.

It's working too. He's seen Regina laugh a little more, even when talking about her days as the Queen, something she doesn't do very often. But Maleficent knows of her past, was a large player in it from the very beginning and Robin is learning through quiet listening that the Dragon had truly been Regina's only friend during those days.

The only thing he absolutely abhors about living in a castle is the bed he and Regina sleep on. Whilst she sleeps like a baby swaddled in a cloud, Robin tosses and turns and rarely finds any rest. It's too damn soft. Squishing beneath him, zero support for his back and more often than not he relents himself to not getting any shut eye. It's taking it's toll though. The past week he's moved to sleep on the onyx concrete floor instead. Not the comfiest of spots, but it's better than feeling as though he's fighting a losing battle against a mattress of quicksand.

He waits every night till Regina is fast asleep before he moves. She likes to be touched as she drifts off. A hand in her hair, a palm that roams gently over her naked back, calming till she's gone to dreamland. That's when makes his escape from the bed. When her breath is low and deep, he shifts her arm off his chest, tucking it gently against a pillow instead and he clambers down to the floor with nothing but a sheet for warmth. He always wakes before her too, scooting himself back into bed as she turns over to reach for him sleepily, humming as he curls her into his arms and he waits for her to wake up.

But he is bloody tired from it. His back aches from the hard ground, less than from the mattress, but still, he wakes up every day feeling as though he's aged a good ten years. It's a stiffness he walks with, tries to hide it from her, but it's impossible sometimes. And he senses that she has catching on as she frowns at the way he cracks his neck and grimaces at the dull aching pain.

Regina muses with a cocked curious eyebrow at him, "You look like hell."

"Thank you?" He grunts back, half irritated she doesn't seem to want to play a doting girlfriend and perhaps offer a massage to the tight sore muscles that plague him. Swallowing down a thick gulp of coffee he hopes will shake off the fatigue in his head, he asks "What did you want to do today?"

Regina shrugs, glares at the way he arches his back uncomfortably, "Doesn't seem like you are up for much right now."

"My back is just sore, no need to fuss."

"I'm not the one who can barely sit up straight without looking like I've been stabbed."

He growls into his mug, huffing out indignantly at her teasing barb. Normally he's up for pretty much anything she can toss his way, but bloody hell, his spine feels as though it's twisted every wrong way, hips pulse with a heavy throb, a tingling of what he assumes is going to be a brutal headache is beginning to make itself known. Before he can say anything more, Maleficent makes her way into the dining hall, smiling a soft hello at Regina, and not much more than a half hearted nod in his direction. And he is not in the mood for the Dragon's poking and hot tongued questioning right now. He just wants to find a nice grassy hill he can get some shut eye on without interruption.

Standing with a hiss, he kisses Regina on the cheek, and bids both women goodbye with the excuse he is going to find a river to bathe in. Perhaps an ice bath is exactly what he needs. Maleficent doesn't say much but wave her hand absently at him, but Regina's brows crease together as she watches him leave, the stiffness beyond obvious as he shuffles out the door.

"What's got Prince Charming's panties in a knot?" Mal smirks, picking through a bundle of red grapes on her plate. Usually _that_ name would have Regina giggling with an eye roll, but she's actually genuinely concerned for Robin. Which is a new thing all together for her. She's been so used to looking out for only herself, but now she has him and they are trying to find a way being together in this new realm. It hasn't been easy and if she is being completely honest, Robin has probably given up more than she has. Every scowl and demand she makes, he figures out a way to make happen even if he does it with a snarky retort about it.

Maybe he's getting restless living in the castle. For a man so accustomed to a forest life, perhaps the concrete walls are starting to feel a little too claustrophobic for him. She doesn't want to leave Maleficent or the soft bed that Regina's far too fond of, but something is definitely bothering Robin, and if they are going to make this work, make _them_ work, it may be time for her to make a concession for his wellbeing and move back into the woods. Maybe she can just take the bed with her lest she have to go back to sleeping on a bed of hay… and then it dawns on her.

He's not sleeping. He _wants_ the bed of hay.

Her heart sinks. She's woken up many times in the middle of the night to find him fast asleep on the concrete floor beside her instead of in the soft mattress and cloudlike pillows. Initially she figured he was just warm, he runs rather hot as it is, or that maybe she moved to much at night for him to find any rest. But this, being actually uncomfortable in the beautiful bed hadn't even crossed her mind.

"I can hear you thinking." Mal's voice smokes out and Regina sighs, "I just have to fix something."

"For Robin?"

Regina nods.

"How unlike you. Thinking about others before yourself."

"Yes well, I've changed."

"I've noticed."

Regina's heart skips a beat at the Dragon's knowing smile she doesn't even try to hide.

.

..

…

..

.

He's gone for most of the day, and it's not till after sundown that Regina finally hears the door to their bedchambers creak open. She's already in bed waiting for him. Pretending to be fast asleep but listening intently as he shucks off his shirt and pants and lifts the covers to crawl in behind her. She stills as he freezes half way through settling down and she bites her lip in anticipation of his reaction.

She can't see it, but she can feel the smile that blooms out through his warm breath against her neck as he lays down next to her. Robin sighs gratefully at the less giving squish to the bed, a hardness that caresses his back and comforts his head. His palm slides over to the bare expanse of her back, a silent pat on her bum as thanks.

"Will you sleep with me the whole night now?" Regina questions quietly as her eyes crack open to find his blissfully closed. She bites back a smile as Robin nods, turns his head and presses a kiss to her forehead. "I wouldn't dream of moving."

Regina snuggles into her pillow, letting her hand creep over and land onto his chest as sleep begins to take over. She likes sleeping next to him, feeling his warmth and body behind her, the steady thumping of his heart lulling her into dreamland.

Robin jostles till he is on his side, "Your side is still soft?" He frowns feeling the way half of the bed dips into a squishy dough where she lays.

"Well you didn't expect me to sleep on a bed of hay now did you?"

He smiles, shakes his head and tugs her quick and fast, through the startled squeal that escapes her at the tumbling motion till she is saddled nearly on top of him. Blinking open he laughs at the scowl etched onto her face at her new position. Robin shifts and tilts himself until Regina is settled lengthwise against his body, her thigh tucked between his own, her head on his chest.

"What are you doing?"

"I simply wish to hold you."

"I'm not sleeping on this grass stack."

"Just for a little while." He pecks the frown between her brows, "Just till I fall asleep, I promise. I've missed this."

Regina grunts at his sappiness, but relents because it's rather sweet though she won't tell him that and she settles down into his arms, hoping he will be sleeping within minutes.

And if she ends up staying there, on the bed of hay all night, well she can deal with a sore back in the morning. It's pretty comfy right where she is anyway, beside him, hay bed be damned.


	87. Sorry We're Late

**An Unexpected Arrival**

You couldn't tell by just looking at her, standing there in complete and utter composure as she fastened the gold bracelet around her wrist, not a fleeting hint of nervousness skittering about the porcelain olive face that stared directly into the vast mirror in front of her. No. To the outside eye, one wouldn't say the once Queen of the Enchanted Forest was at all apprehensive about what was to happen in less than 20 minutes.

But that, being stoned featured to the world while her insides feel like jello in a hurricane is one of her many strengths. Her knees are far to wobbly in the tall gold heels. Palms sweat riddled, fingers shaking so terribly the damn clasp won't fasten though she's been at it for the past three minutes. No. To everyone else, Regina Mills looks like a woman of calm and serenity, but she is terrified.

Not in a way of fearing for her life, or that of a loved one being taken away type fear. It's an internal boiling of butterflies over a cauldron of self doubt and disbelief that no one can see. The lump in her throat swells to the size of a boulder, teeth bite back the sting of bile that creeps up every now and then. If she'd let her wall down, they'd all see the utter nervous wreck that she is. But that just won't do. She can steel herself for long enough to make it through the ceremony whilst curious eyes watch, and perhaps later she will find a nice bush to throw her digested lunch into.

Frowning at the gold clip that refuses to be integrated with its dangling partner on her wrist, a flicker of tears brim across long dark lashes. And she will not cry. Her makeup is far to perfectly done to have any of that nonsense happen. Screw the bracelet. She tosses it back down onto the oak vanity with a growl, huffing indignantly with a hot glare as it clinks harmless into a pile. Thank god her dress is stunning and no one will notice if she isn't wearing the defiant accessory.

He will like it, that much is certain. What with all the exposed skin of her back thanks to the low cut of the lace gown. Hunter Green with tiny diamonds strung about the entire length. White was never her anyway, and black would have just been ridiculous. If she is being truthful, she feel's rather pretty in the color. It certainly highlights the olive tone of her skin, the deep set plum of her lips, compliments the raven hue of her hair. If it wasn't for the simple gold necklace that hung between her breasts, illuminated by the dying sun, it could almost be possible for her to slip into the forest and blend in entirely. Perhaps part of her is still Queen of the Forest. A small part.

Smoothing out the lace that covers her arms, she checks her nails over once more, nothing fancy, just painted a soft mushroom grey, the color will go well with the white lilies in her bouquet. Time is ticking away as the musings of a few voices outside the tent call her attention, and there really isn't much more time she can stall. Not that she is trying to stall. She's not scared. Just in honest to God disbelief that this is happening for her.

Marrying a man she actually wants to, without anyone here to stop them from doing just that. Robin had popped the question, or rather shot the question at her almost a year ago, and time had flown past her. She is excited. Truly is. Wants nothing more than to be able to hear him introduce her as his wife. Mrs. Regina Locksley. It has a nice ring to it. Speaking of rings, she probably should grab the wedding band for Robin from the black velvet satchel before she forgets. That would just be embarrassing.

Rolling the steel band between her fingers, the emeralds glint in the peaking of sun from the tent opening, two of them set between a single block diamond in the middle. All sunken into the silver metal and perfectly him. Not that he was that inclined to be wearing something so lavish, lest someone spot it on his finger and try to rob them for it's value. But Regina had insisted more or less. He'd chided her playfully that is was simply to keep female eyes away from where they not ought to be prying. She neither confirmed nor denied that.

Tucking the ring into the green band that secures her flowers, she spies the gold bracelet once more, rolling her eyes heavy as she picks it back up in a last ditch attempt to get the bloody thing to hook.

"Wow. You look incredible."

It's the sound of her own voice, perhaps an octave higher, but it's a voice she knows to the core. Spinning on the spot with wide eyes and mouth agape, it's the last person she expected to be standing here. In a simple plum dress with a silver belt, hair lightly curled about her shoulders and a small smile on ruby red lips.

"I could say the same about you."

The two share a smile, before the Queen licks her lips rather apprehensively. She hasn't spoken to Regina in nearly three months. Had told her about she and Robin's engagement, and the look in the other woman's eyes tore a piece of her heart out. Heartbroken happiness. It poured out of the beaming smile Regina had given her through their magic mirror. But she could see the tears that swelled behind dark lashes. It what she had wanted for herself. A happy ending that had been stripped away from her.

She owes Regina everything. This chance at a new beginning, at acceptance, and at love. A thought passes her mind as she watches Regina take a few slow steps towards her, eyes trained on the gold bracelet clasped within her own hands, that she should say thank you more often, make the effort to ensure that they are both living at least somewhat happy. It's the least she can do.

"Here, let me." Regina takes the bracelet from the Queen, bites down on her lower lip, brows creasing together as she attempts to hinge the two sides together. She just watches her. Rather stunned she is here, but beyond grateful for it. She looks thinner, hair is longer than the last time they spoke, but still beautiful as ever. Even behind the sadness in her eyes she tries to hide.

"Do these even fit together?" Regina huffs down at the accessory, and the Queen lets a light chuckle out. "Seriously. How is this not connecting?" She fiddles again before letting out a conquering "Ha! There." before she lets the Queen's hand go, bracelet securely in place.

For a moment they just stand there, holding each other's gaze. And while the Queen vehemently refused to cry earlier, a single traitorous tear falls onto her cheek. One that Regina quickly brushes away with a smile. "You shouldn't be crying on your wedding day." She tucks a curl behind the Queen's ear and steps one pace back. "Well, do a spin for me." Her finger twirls playfully, much to the blush the flares into the Queen's cheeks as she rolls her eyes and does what was asked and slowly turns herself 180 degrees in a circle, giving Regina the complete spectrum of her gown.

"I have to say that dress is gorgeous. I'm almost annoyed I don't own it."

"Maybe I'll let you borrow it one day."

The comment thickens the air bittersweetly. Regina knows what the Queen meant. That perhaps on her own wedding this could be the garment she'd wear. But that ship has long sailed, her beloved archer at the helm as it faded into the unreachable distance.

Sensing the sadness, the Queen reaches for Regina's hand, smoothes over her thumb and spies the sapphire diamond that sits on a ring laced about a silver chain. "That was daddy's ring." She toys with the band as Regina smiles against the previous burning of tears.

"I brought it for you actually."

The Queen's eyebrow arches high as Regina slips the necklace off, the diamond ring following suit before it falls heavy into her palm. "I didn't know if you were doing the whole; something old, new, borrowed and blue." She presses the ring into the Queen's hand, closing her fist around it tightly, "But I figured this could be all of the above?"

For a moment, she is at a loss for words as she twiddles the ring between her fingers. "Thank you." She locks eyes with Regina who now fiddles with the empty chain about her neck. "He would have wanted you to wear it."

"No. Not just for this." The Queen swallows heavy. "For being here."

Regina sniffs hard, tucks her hair back and swallows down the lump in her throat. "There's no place I'd rather be."

The hug happens fast, the Queen tugging Regina tight into her arms, holding the woman who has given her a new chance at life with everything she can muster. "I'm happy for you." Regina whispers between them, "Truly."

"Hey mom's. I think everyone is ready to go."

Regina pulls back at the same time the Queen stiffens and her jaw hits the proverbial forest floor. He's so big. And handsome standing at the opening of the tent in a black tux and dark green tie.

"Henry?"

"Hi Mom." Her son steps into the room, beaming brighter than the sun that is lighting her heart on fire, and wraps her up in a fierce hug.

"I can't believe you're here." She stumbles over the words as she feels just how tall he is now. Taller than she, all chiseled jaw broad in his shoulders, and hair slicked to the side neatly.

"Well someone has to walk you down the aisle right?" He kisses her cheek and grasps her hand. "Is that okay with you?"

Is the most ridiculous question she's ever been asked, and god dammit her makeup is going to be smudged beyond belief as tears flood down once more. Whatever, she can fix it with a wave of her hand. This is more important. Holding her son. Breathing in the summer fresh scent that clung to him as a child. Her fingers run through his hair gently, a motion that has him chuckling and pulling slightly away with a happy "Hey now, this hair took mom forever to get right." His eyes flick up to Regina who stands not three feet away, smiling softly at the pair.

"It's the cowlick in the back." She chuckles, walking up to them with a kiss pressed to Henry's cheek. "Never did like to stay down."

"I remember that." The Queen bites happily down on her lip, running her hand down his chest and fixing the tie she mussed up. "It's in every school picture."

"My own personal style."

"Messy bed head?"

"More like, too cool for a hair brush."

The trio laughs, and Regina hears the low chime of the harp outside the tent.

"Well I guess we should get this going. You ready mom?" Henry extends a bent elbow out to both of his mother's, chin jutted up into the air stoically with a grin as Regina hands the Queen her bouquet and they all walk out of the tent into the dusk sky.

Regina leaves first, taking a seat beside Jefferson who tips his hat at the Queen's baffled expression the hatter is present. Appears there are a lot of unexpected guests. Granted she and Robin only asked the quiet older couple that lived on the farm next to them to attend their wedding. It wasn't supposed to be anything grand, just the pair of them and the forest where they belong.

But the more the Queen walks beside Henry, down the white velvet carpet towards the altar she hasn't even glanced at yet, the tears swell in her eyes as she see's Granny and Ruby tucked in side by side one row back, beside Tinkerbell, with who looks as though she is about to burst into tears. Hook and Emma are on the opposite side of the aisle, the pirate bouncing a small baby girl in his lap as four of the seven dwarfs lean over and babble happy faces at the child. Maleficent slides in beside the vacant seat next to Regina, her hand moving to lace with the brunettes fingers comfortingly as she always had done.

It's nearly overwhelming. All the people that are here for her. That wanted to come and see her live her happy ending. After all the terror she had put them through, it seems forgiveness runs rampant in this group.

Finally, she lets her eyes move up, and there he is. Looking at her as though the only thing in the entire world that exists is her. It's all clean cut hair and neat pressed clothes. Not that he is wearing a tux or anything, it's a simple clean white linen shirt underneath a dark green and gold embroidered vest his father had given him, and brown straight trousers that tuck into his boots. For a moment she doesn't think she has ever been more enamoured by him before. It steals her breath away just how much she loves this man who has chosen to see past all that scars that adorned her heart and love her for simply her.

Henry's hand squeezes her's tight as the come to a spot at the archway, a kiss pressed to her cheek as the friar asks softly who gives this woman away. It takes everything in her to not let her heart burst as Henry proudly states that he, her son does. Robin steps down, pulls Henry into a hug and turns to lace his fingers into her own. Henry leaves them with one last whispered "I love you" into her hair and sits down beside Maleficent.

It's just them now. Standing toe to toe in front of all these people.

"Hi." He breathes through a dimpled smile.

"Hi." She grins back, breathing out through her nose as evenly as her pulsating lungs will allow.

"I want to thank you all for being here today, to wit-"

A small clattering of chairs halts the preacher mid speech, as all eyes turn to find Snow and Charming half tipped over and bright as tomatoes in their embarrassment. The crowd goes quiet as the Queen arches her eyebrow at the pair who quickly scramble to their seats beside Emma.

"Sorry we're late." Snow hushes out.

For a moment no one says anything, at least not until the Queen and Regina lock eyes and proceed to both burst out into laughter, the rest following suit as Snow hides her face in Charmings shoulder, giggling at the ridiculous statement she just echoed.

Seems life really does come full circle.

 **The End.**


	88. Chapter 88 - A home for the homeless

**For OQ PROMPT WEEK!**

 **Homeless AU "You gave me a dollar every day for three years and now I had a bit of luck, I have a job and I really want to pay you back." (#23)**

* * *

It happens everyday, down to the minute, 7:12 am on the morning train that heads north into the bank district, and again at 6:08pm on the return trip home. Through the bustle of the crowds that pay no attention to the poor person, who sits against the third column with an empty crumpled up Boston Red Sox hat on the floor, not a single pair of eyes linger for longer than a disgusted grunt or worse, a pitiful stare. Those are like ice daggers. The sad longing glances and downturned lips as they pass by, not giving anything more than a quarter.

All except one person. The one who walks by at 7:12am to work, a job that surely pays well enough for expensive clothes and nice shoes, and returns at 6:08pm, clearly on their way home to a warm home, a decent meal and a family who eagerly waits. Every single day they walk by, drop a dollar into the dirty hat and bid a good morning. For three years since this underground tunnel has become a new home away from the harsh weather changes of the outside world. It's a dollar in the morning and the smell of dark roasted coffee in a stainless steel mug, and a dollar in the evening with a small smile.

Why they did was unknown. Who gives a homeless person a consistent amount of money for seven hundred and eighteen days. There had been a good week last year around thanksgiving they had been absent, probably on some wonderful vacation to Mexico or Bora Bora. And a very long nearly two and a half week stretch this past summer. Hunger had been rampant without the reliable $2.00 a day that could afford a single muffin at bakery down the road. Gratefully the owner, an older lady with grey curling hair and steel grey blue eyes had a soft enough heart to let the extra thirty-nine cents be waved off.

It had become somewhat of a strange routine. Waking up to the first rumble of the 5:30am train and the clicking of far too expensive shoes and mindless chattering of people who walked right by, holding steaming mugs of coffee and breakfast sandwiches that surely would have cost at least eight bucks. And then the clock would tick by slowly toward 7:10 am, the third train coming into the tunnel and there they would be. Walking with such purpose, poise and a smile as another dollar for the day was tossed in. They'd say good morning to each other, share some sort of strange eye contact that only held longer as each week passed by, and then they'd be gone, off to save the world like some sort of superhero only they could possibly be.

Three years.

Fourteen hundred and thirty six dollars in single dollar bills had traded from a generous hand to a desperate one.

And three years later, her hands are shaking as though she's been tasered by the police again as she stands in front of a solid oak door with a silver number 23 glistening in the barely rising sun. It is far too early for her to even be here, 6:02am. But from what she's been able to read about this man, where he lives in the suburbs of Portland, a ridiculously named place called _Happy Valley,_ she figures that is he catches the 7:12 train, it would take at least 20 minutes to drive by transport to the nearest station, and he always looks fresh out of the shower, and impeccably dressed. So she's betting that hopefully he wakes up around 5:45am? To god damn early for her, but it's truly her only chance to do this.

There is only a single light on that she can see, and not much noise to be heard beyond the door. And still she can't fathom knocking just in case there are sleeping children inside. It's all memories of Henry at four years old and the absolute terror that boy could be if he was woken before he wished. But those days are long gone, and her gut knots tightly at the son she lost all those years ago to leukemia. A brutal disease that her brave little boy had fought tooth and nail against every step of the way. Through bone marrow transplants and blood infusions, he would squeeze her hand, wearing his batman pajama shirt and tell her it was going to be okay, he'd get better this time.

That was her life. Living in a hospital as her four year old comforted her through his own treatment like a soldier. He'd caught a flu, some stupid virus that snuck into his lungs and wreaked havoc on his already depressed immune system. That had been it. After sixteen months of back and forth ups and downs, her prince was resting in heaven with his father.

Her entire world spiralled after that. Depression got ahold of her, tore her apart piece by piece, consuming every last shred of light in her world till all that was left was darkness. Darkness that lead to losing her job at the school, which turned into an inability to pay her bills, foreclosure on her home after the market crash, and when her own mother turned her away, she was forced to live on the streets, in an underground subway tunnel, sleeping next to the third column on bricks on the left hand side. For forty eight months it was her _home_ , if it can even be called that. A place that smelled like damp water and sweat, buzzed with noise and ticking clocks, and her only source of company, four legged creatures who were revolted by the common public.

But life had a way of tilting on it's axis. One year after Henry died, to the exact date, that man walked by and tossed in a dollar. He'd smiled, dimpled and softly, wished her a good morning and carried on his way. Only to return ten hours and fifty four minutes later with another bill and a tip of his chin in goodbye. She began to rely on seeing him, the bright sky blue of his eyes, sandy blonde peppered beard, and perfectly combed dark brown hair, save for the piece that never seemed to stay in place right in front of his eyes. His Elvis curls she began to silently admire it as. Perhaps that's only because the musician up the stairs had been an impersonator of the deceased King, and it played in her mind most days.

Oddly enough the day the blue eyed man actually squatted down in front of her and offered her a coffee had been in the ninth month of their strange friendship, and he offered her a coffee whilst the smooth melody of Elvis sang behind them. The moment her eyes connected with his, the muffled crooning words " _I can't help falling in love with you…"_ echoed in her brain.

She doesn't _love_ , the guy. She has no idea who he is, aside from his name and address. And the fact he wears perfectly tailored suits and smells like a forest rolled him up and spit him out.

Robin Locksley. CEO of a tech company that specializes in some sort of outdoor wilderness gear that had absolutely taken off about five years ago thanks to a new design in filtering water with a travel camel pack. From what she's read, it's been rated as one of the top 100 inventions of the decade, and he named one of the most influential people of the decade. No wonder he can spare two dollars everyday.

And yet, for a guy who clearly isn't lacking in the financial department, his home is rather, well, ordinary. Just a two story brown copperstone brick style, with an oak door and truly not much else aside from the massive tree in the front yard that gentle sways a tire swing from one of its many branches.

Taking a breath, and tucking her hair behind her ears, she adjust her blazer, recently bought, not nearly as nice as the ones she seen him in, but it's better than the black zip up and grey tank she'd been living in previously. With one last tug on buttons that are already done up and a swipe of her dark denim jeans, an anxious breath blows out through her nose and she knocks, three times rather lightly. It's still obscenely early after all.

It takes a few moments before a light turns on behind the door, and she prays to the high heavens that it's him who answers the door in somewhat of an okay morning mood. Granted the guy never fails to be seen with a smile.

The knob clicks and twists and there he is.

His eyebrows arch curiously, with a soft "Good Morning."

Nerves hit her like a frieght train. For three years she's barely spoken a word to the man who changed her entire life, and she feels like a bloody mute standing on his stoop, gawking at the way his clean crisp white linen shirt frames his shoulders, tucked into a pair of navy blue dress pants and a brown leather belt. He looks like he's from some sort of magazine, being this close to him she can see the light peppering of grey in his dark blonde hair, the slight crinkles hugging bright blue eyes. How did she fail to notice how damn handsome the guy was?

"Can I help you with something?"

Their eyes lock and her throat runs dry.

"Hi." She mumbles out against the lump in her chest.

He chuckles, nods his head, "Hello."

"You probably don't know who I am. Well, I know you don't actually." She starts to ramble, but he steps out, bare feet and all, lands a hand on her forearm and smiles, "I do."

"You do?"

"You're the woman I see every morning on my way to work."

Well that is one way to put it she supposes. He knows she was the homeless person who he gave money too. Suddenly she feels rather shameful standing in front of him. Their lives so different, he clearly above her league.

"You look lovely by the way. Not that you don't always, but the jacket, it suits you."

She blushes.

"Thank you"

For a moment they simply stand there, with his hand still firmly placed on her arm, a warmth she hasn't felt in a really long time. She feels the way he is looking at her, curiously, a touch of ease in his eyes that travel across her face as he waits for her to speak.

"For three years you gave me a dollar, well two dollars really." She swallows, brushing back that stupid lock of hair that refuses to stay put. "I just wanted to say thank you."

He smiles, and his dimples deepen as he squeezes her arm. "You're welcome, though I feel as though I should have given you more. You were the first person I looked for every morning you know."

"I was?"

He nods, bites his bottom lip rather bashfully. It's cute. He is cute she decides. Very damn cute.

"You changed my life."

Their eyes connect once more, and something shifts in his gaze, something that looks strangely like understanding, though she can't fathom he had ever been homeless.

"Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?"

"Oh no, I couldn't. You need to get going if you're going to catch your train."

"Perhaps I'd like to take the next train for once. Change up the routine."

Her eyebrows crease together confused as to why he would do such a thing. "I haven't had breakfast yet either anyway. Roland and I are making pancakes."

"Roland?"

"My son."

Her heart clenches tight in her chest. The memory of her own little boy elbow deep in waffle batter and chocolate chips swirls into her mind.

"We always make extra and it is Friday after all."

"What does Friday have to do with making too many pancakes?"

He laughs, lets go of her arm, the warmth tingling in his palm's absence, "Nothing if I am being truthful. But I honestly would just like to get a chance to talk to you. Properly."

"Why?"

"Well we've known each other for three years now, and I don't even know if you take sugar or cream in your coffee. Doesn't seem like I've been very good in our friendship if you ask me."

"Friendship?"

"I'd like to hope so. I want to get to know you, Regina."

The sound of her name on his lips steals her breath away. It had only been one time that she told him her name. Just once, nearly a year ago, and he remembered it. And she hasn't had a friend in a very, very long time. Strange as their start may have been, perhaps it's all about timing.

"One sugar, no cream."

At her answer Robin beams, lets out a relieved breath and nods, "Noted. And trust me, Roland will insist you eat a stack of his famous pancakes, blueberries, syrup and whip cream loaded."

He opens the door, allowing her to step in, but her feet are frozen to the spot as her heart thumps erratically in her chest. It feels so strange and yet so natural wanting to go inside and have breakfast with this man and his son.

"Is something wrong?" He turns, tipping his head to the side questioningly as to why she stands there like a statue, staring at him as though he is a mirage. "You don't have to eat the pancakes if you don't want too."

"It's not that, I actually love them." She huffs out a tearful chuckle.

He steps back towards her, thumbing away a stray fallen tear, "Then what is is?"

"I just can't believe you want to be friends, or that you even remember me."

His hand falls to lace into one of her own, his eyes dropping for a moment from hers as he chews on his cheek shyly, tracing his thumb over her knuckles before looking up again.

"I doubt I'd ever forget meeting you."

 **FIN.**


	89. Care to Share?

**"** **The poor guy at table 4 has almost ordered the whole menu just so he can look at you and you didn't even give him a smile. How about when you slip him your number instead of ask what dessert he wants." (#18)**

It's been nearly eight hours and she is bloody exhausted. Working a double shift has done an absolute number on her spine, it aches in a way that is beyond what aleve or her heating pad will help. And God forget about her feet. She is sure they are bleeding and mangled by now thanks to the heels her boss insists all the female waitresses wear. The guys are allowed flat dress shoes, and she has some damn cute flats, but no, she has to be chained into these murderous torture devices. It's a damn good thing they are Jimmy Choo's and her legs look killer in them, which usually helps with tips from men whose eyes linger a little too long on her frame.

But it's almost eleven, her head is throbbing and she is about ready to smack the group of frat boys at table 20 if they don't leave after their eighth round of tequila. She is absolutely no mood to deal with their grabby hands and vulgarity for another minute. Job be damned, if the platinum blonde hair dude so much as tries to touch her and call her "sweetheart" one more time, she is going to throttle him.

Just two more tables to pay and then she can go home. To her soft luxurious mattress and flannel pajamas. Henry will be asleep more than likely which is the third night in a row she hasn't made it home in time to read him another chapter of Harry Potter. At this rate Ms. Lucas will have gone through the entire third book and Regina won't have spent a single night with her son reading. But bills have to be paid. And this job is the only thing keeping her and her son in their apartment right now.

"Regina you look like you're about to fall over on your feet."

Tink sets her tray down, leaning against the bar as Regina waits for the bartender to come back with a platter of tequila and limes. He's taking his freaking time pouring them too. Making eyeballs at some long hair blonde who in all honesty either looks like she is about to punch Killian or kiss him. Secretly Regina hopes it's the first. She'd love to see that eyeliner by smudged just a touch by a hard smack of a fist.

"Hello? Earth to Regina?"

"What?" She turns, shaking her head out of it's foggy fantasy of being the fist that whams into that dumb scruffy dark beard. It's his fault that gang of boys is still here anyway. They are his friends. He should have to deal with their drunken nonsense.

A hand waves in front of her eyes. "You need to take a day off girl. It's like talking to a zombie." Tink chuckles patting Regina's arm though she scowls at the comment. "That or you need to go talk to the guy at table 23."

"He's still here?"

"Every thursday for the past month."

"He's become quite a regular for you."

Blonde curls shake as Tink rolls her eyes and dead pans Regina who is finally getting her tray of liquor set. "It's not me he keeps coming back for."

Regina pays the comment no mind, just grabs her tray and huffs out as she walks back to the table that is whooping and hollering at her. Fucking gits. It would be so nice to _accidentally_ stumble and drop all of tequila right on top of them. Perhaps if their hair gel got wet they'd flip out and finally leave.

"Hey hot stuff, we were wondering if you forgot about us!" One of the idiots jests towards her, and for the love of god if he doesn't get it sweaty palm off her hand she is going to set him on fire with something.

"Sit down! Have a drink with us."

She snorts, rolls her eyes and crosses her arms defiantly, "I have better plans."

"Like what? A tub of ice cream and netflix?" Another dipshit chimes in. "Come on, you know you want to sit with me. I'll take care of you."

Instead of pulverising the toad like she wants to, she just smirks, leans over the table so he can get a generous view of her cleavage nicely pressed up in her little black dress. It works. His eyes drop straight to her breasts, jaw gaping a touch as she slides his tequila back towards her, sliding her finger far to seductively around the rim of it. Boys. They are far too easy to manipulate.

"You're not my type. And I don't drink tequila." She stands, leaving the shot untouched as they boo as she walks away from their table, depositing their bill at the same time. Hopefully it will work and they will piss off and she can go home.

Letting out a heavy breath as she hit the bar once more, it's not even two minutes of peace before both Ruby and Tink are saddling up beside her again. "Regina, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"The guy that has been here for the past four hours throwing you pitiful glances every time you walk by. He's dying to talk to you Regina."

She knows who they are talking about. He comes in every Thursday, sits in the corner booth and eats nearly everything on their menu and just waits till last call happens. She's watched him the past few times, not that anyone else knows she too eyes him up from the side as she passes by. He's ridiculously handsome. All bright blue eyes rimmed by a sapphire ring, light brown hair speckled with a touch of gray, broad shoulders, and a smile that could quite possibly end world wars if his dimples came out to play. She'd have to be blind to not notice how attractive he is. But even if she was, his voice is always calm and soft, and he smells like the leaves in fall. It would be hard for her to not notice him.

"Well, I'm finally off and going to go see if Jefferson will whip me up a midnight snack." Tink blushes as she looks towards the kitchen. It makes Regina smirk down at the tiny blonde. "Does this snack include food?" Ruby chimes in, tossing her long dark hair back in a laugh when Tink scoffs and fiddles with her hair. "You two are ridiculous. We are just friends."

"Mmmm, friends who just happen to have midnight meals together?"

"Shut up both of you. Regina can you finish up with the guy at 23 for me?"

"Why don't you do it?"

"Because." Tink smiles and walks away, leaving Regina and Ruby together at the bar. The later grinning wolfishly at Regina who avoids the eye contact at all costs. The last thing she wants is to hear Ruby make to some comment about how Regina should give the poor bloke a chance and actually talk to him.

"You know, he comes in here every week and waits like a puppy for you to come play with him."

Well, so much for hoping. Regina sighs, runs her hands through her hair and grabs the guys check. She's just going to drop it off. That's it. Hopefully he has cash and not a card she has to come back with the machine to pay.

His eyes flick to her as she approaches, a smile bitten back rather poorly as he exhales a very long breath. He looks nervous. Adorable. But nervous.

"Hi, Tink is off so I am just going to finish up with you okay?" She sets his bill down.

He beams, and her stomach flips over. He's got a gorgeous smile. Something that shouldn't affect her so much. But it does.

"Thank you, Regina."

Her name on his lips has her eyebrows raising. She hadn't told him her name. He chuckles, and nods to her nametag. And she feels ridiculous that there had been a chance he'd asked Tink for her name.

"No problem."

"Are you off for the evening?"

She flicks her eyes over to the table of guys that are whistling in her direction, hollering for another round. "If that table would finally figure out that I am not having a drink with them and they'd leave, then yes, I'd be off."

"Poor bastards."

She cocks her eyebrows at him and he bites down on his lower lip.

"They are clearly swinging above their league."

The laugh that bubbles out of her is unexpected, and her hand flies to her mouth to cover it up. "Yes...well..." She dosen't know actually what to say to him. The comment whisking her nerves like scrambled eggs.

"Robin." He extends a hand, waiting for her to accept his greeting. It takes her a moment, her thumb swiping over her knuckles once before she gives in and lets her fingers touch his. It's warm. Tingles and sparks in a way she's never felt before. It has her in awe in all honesty. And it appears Robin is in the same boat. The way his eyes linger on their joint hands for a touch longer than normal.

Clearing her throat she pulls her hand away, loathe to do so, but it's not like she can exactly stand here holding this guys hand for all eternity. Robin swallows, sends her a shy smile and toys with the edge of the leather check book resting on the table.

"Could I bother for a slice of key lime pie?"

"Oh. Uh." Her gaze glances up at the clock, 10:52pm. The kitchen closes at 10:00. "Sorry, but the kitchen guys are done for the night."

"Ah." Robin nods his head, slinking back into the booth cushion. "Perhaps another time."

Regina's mind wanders to the slice they have saved for her in the fridge in the back, saran wrapped and most likely half deflated on a paper plate. It's her favorite dessert that occasionally she lets herself binge on.

"It will be on a credit card. Thank you."

Oddly, she doesn't feel quite so irritated at the fact she has to come back to his table as she thought. "I'll be right back." She smiles, one that he returns and she turns on her heel and heads back to the bar, demanding her heart to stop thumping against her ribcage. For a few minutes she lets her eyes wander back to him, taking in the way he thumbs the last bit of his whiskey and scowls at the crowd of men at her other table. Seems she isn't the only one who doesn't appreciate their rowdiness.

"Killian. I'm done with your friends. They are all yours." She smirks at the bartender who rolls his eyes and waves her off, the blonde he's been chatting up for most of the night still sitting in front of him, leaning much closer than an hour ago.

Taking one last look at the clock, she heads back to Robin, machine in hand and beyond ready to get home to her son. Harry Potter is waiting after all.

"All ready to go?" She reaches for Robin's credit card, swiping it through and punching in his ridiculously large bill for one. Four hours in a restaurant clearly isn't easy on the bank account. He must make a pretty comfortable living if he can do this once a week for the past month.

"Plans for your night?"

"I'd thought to eat myself into a coma with pie, but alas that plan has failed. Roland will be disappointed." Robin chuckles, hitting the buttons to pay.

"Roland?"

"My boy. He's crazy for that pie. I've tried to make it at home, but it's not quite the same."

"How old is he?"

Why she is making small talk is beyond her. The guy has paid and she is free to go home. But she doesn't really want to leave. Not yet at least.

"A bundle of four year old energy."

"And you thought sugar would put him to sleep?"

Robin laughs, tossing back the rest of his whiskey. "Well if I had any self restraint I was planning to save him some for tomorrow after school. And what about yourself? Plans for the night?"

"I'm hoping my son will still be awake to read a chapter of Harry Potter. But I am pretty sure he will be dead asleep by the time I get home."

"I'm sorry for keeping you from him."

Technically he is. "You're not." A blatant lie and they both know it. So much so that Regina rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders pathetically. "I just haven't been home to read to him for three nights now. It's kinda getting to me I suppose."

"I can understand that. Time is a precious thing. Seems the harder we try to hold onto it, the quicker it slips away."

"Well, that is a very poetic way to say it. But yes, exactly. I just don't want to miss too much with him."

"You best be off then." He stands, smiles and stuffs his hands into his pockets as though he's afraid to touch her. And for whatever damn reason she wants him too. Touch her that is. Hold her hand again and maybe they could go eat a slice of pie together. That could be nice.

"I'll see you around sometime."

"Next Thursday?"

He blushes at that, caught red handed. "I'll be here."

She lingers for a moment, waiting for him to say something else, but he simply grabs his jacket and walks out their front door. The bar suddenly far too lonesome and quiet without his blue eyes.

"He's cute." Ruby slides up beside Regina, handing her the last slice of pie from the fridge before walking away, leaving Regina to stand here with a handful of pie and staring at the front door.

Without grabbing her coat, or really thinking anything through, she flies out the bar, her heels clicking against the concrete sidewalk. And he's probably already gone, the parking lot is empty. Dammit. Well a week to wait to talk to him again isn't the end of the world. Sighing she looks down at the pitiful plate of pie, it doesn't even look that appetizing anymore in all honesty.

"Regina?" His voice spins her around, and while she isn't usually caught for words, she suddenly has nothing to say. "I wanted to ask you a question. And please feel free to say no." He bites down on his bottom lip, hands still stuffed into his pockets. Regina waits for him to say something else, but he doesn't. Just stands frozen to the spot and stares at her. Like he is trying to figure her out with just looking.

"Do you, uh, do you want some pie?" She breaks the silence first, shoving the plate into his chest rather forcefully. He laughs and grabs the plate, his fingers touching the back of her hand. "I thought the kitchen guys were done."

"They are."

He eyes the dessert caught between them. "I take a slice home usually."

"Oh. I see."

"But you can have it."

"It's okay, Regina. You deserve this much more than I do."

She frowns. She really wants the pie, but then again she really doesn't.

"Something wrong?"

He tips his chin down to find her eyes that have left his. Leaning a fraction in closer to her, the paper plate crumpling a touch between them.

"No I'm fine. Have a good night Robin."

She pulls back, but his hand catches her elbow, "No wait. Care to share it?"

"What?"

"The pie?" Robin smiles, glances down at the partially squashed gooey green and whipped cream delicacy. "Roland is at a sleepover, and you said your boy was asleep already. Perhaps, we could…"

"Share?"

"Only if you want to. I can wait until next week to order some."

The smile blooms from her heart and breaks through her lips.

"Wait here, I'll go get two forks."

And he does. Sits on the picnic bench across the road underneath a large oak and beams as she walks back to him, pie in hand, two forks in the other and settles down beside him. And if he scooches in a little closer, well Regina really doesn't pay any mind, it's cold outside and his body heat it a welcome blanket around her.

It turns out, this is the best slice of pie either of them have ever had, and not the last they would share.

 **Fin.**


	90. Amnesia

**Robin has amnesia. He falls in love with his Regina, his doctor. (#156)**

* * *

Hospitals are….not her cup of tea. Everything smells stale and bleached beyond recognition. There is a constant whispering between hushed voices, muffled words and scowls between doctors and nurses over patient charts. Not much about a hospital is very happy. Sure, people come in with injuries and leave fully recovered, but sometimes they don't. Sometimes people never leave the confines of this white walled fortress, and other times they are taken out in a body bag. Pain is everywhere. Not just physical, that can be handled easily with IV's and morphine, but it's the psychological pain that lingers and claws it's grimy hands around this place. Patients in pain when they are told they will never walk again. Parents in pain seeing their children being wheeled off to surgery. Friends staring into the abyss waiting and praying to whoever that their person comes out safely.

No, hospitals are not her favorite place. But it's where her life now revolves around because of a particular patient, and the pain in her heart that refuses to go away. She's been his _doctor_ for six years now. Walks the same hallway down to room 23 with his ever growing medical chart in hand, a glass of lemonade in the other, a favorite of his she's come to learn over their time together.

Each day is much the same, his condition hasn't improved, the car crash he barely survived has taken away all of his memories. Of his family back home who waits, his job he will most likely never return to, the friends that visit every now and again, and the family he has, who love him so much and miss him even more. Pain. It surrounds him though he doesn't feel a thing.

But every morning at half past ten she knocks on his door, hoping that it might be the day something has changed. Today is no different. With his drink in tow, she pushes his door open to find him staring rather intently out the window. A frown creasing his forehead and crinkling the lines around his bright blue eyes. It's an expression she hasn't seen before.

Sure there has been frustration for him in his recovery. The first few months after coming out of the coma. The braces around his legs and spine to keep him upright as he learned to walk again. Learning how to speak again. That was exhausting for her. But they did it. After nearly a year, he could finally form proper sentences to voice his thoughts and needs rather than shakily scribble on a pad of paper, or use their made up tapping code with his fingers on her palm. One tap meant yes. Two taps was no. That was their entire conversation. Filled with her asking him questions, and he tapping her hand. She damn near cried the first time he said hello to her. It was the progress she'd been waiting on.

But that feeling of utter relief and joy soon took a rapid downhill sink when he asked her what her name was. He didn't remember it. Didn't remember her. And that's how they figured out that the traumatic brain injury he had suffered caused extreme memory loss and day to day amnesia.

Other doctors had sighed and patted her shoulder, telling her there was nothing they could do. The brain is a fragile organ, and sometimes the damage is irreparable. She refused to believe them. Which is why she has stood in this doorway in the place she hates most, and told him her name every day.

But this look, the way he doesn't even turn to acknowledge her is jarring, and it makes her heart sink slightly. If this is another setback, she has run out of options with his rehab. They will just have to live like this, in two separate worlds, where his smile will forever have her stomach flipping over into a cloud of butterflies and that will be it. She won't leave him, but there will be no growth between them. Not anymore. He doesn't even remember seeing her yesterday.

"Robin?" She sets her charts and his lemonade down on the side table, sitting on the bed next to his hip. "Are you alright?"

He huffs quietly, scowls at the sun outside before turning back to her, scanning her face for any source of recognition. It's a longer look than she is used to. And something feels different about him. She should probably check his vitals and do her routine morning checklist of him. Hopefully he isn't declining. Her heart couldn't take that. The past six years have already taken a toll, and the threads are barely holding the beating organ together.

"I'm Dr. Mills. I just have to give you a check over okay?" She sits and reaches for her stethoscope. His eyes follow as she places the chilled tool on his chest, plugs in her ears as she listens to his heartbeat for a moment. "It's still going strong." Regina smiles, leaning back and jotting a few notes on his chart.

He doesn't say anything, just nods and follows her with his ever inquisitive eyes as she stands and moves to the other side of his bed. "You're beautiful, has anyone ever told you that?"

Little does he know, it's him who does. Every day she sees him. He comments on how stunning her eyes are. How impressive her brain is. The brilliance of her smile. Silly as it may be, she loves hearing him say them. She is no stranger to men admiring her, but he is the only one who can say something so simple and it has her heart banging a trumpeting chorus in her chest.

"Thank you. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I suppose."

He's always fine. Every damn day, that's all he is. Just fine. One day she hopes he will say he's good. That would be such an improvement.

She places her hand in his own, "Can you squeeze my fingers for me?" He does. On both sides, and at least his strength hasn't gone down hill. Physical Therapy has done him well. She squeezes back for a moment before letting her hand slide out of his. He frowns at that but says nothing, just stares at her with that same intensity.

"I'm going to check your eyes now okay?"

He shuffles to lay back on his bed, but when she brings the retinoscope up to his face, his hand wraps around her wrist, stopping her from coming any closer. The contact tingles in a way it shouldn't anymore. "This won't hurt, I just need to look at your eyes." Just like every other day.

His eyes stay locked on hers, fingers still wrapped around her wrist as he moves her hand to the side, and he scans her face over and over again until a small half dimpled smile parts across his lips.

"Is everything okay?"

"I know you."

The words steal the breath out of her lungs. Not once, in six years since he had been brought into her care has he ever had any inclination of knowing who she was. Tears flood into her eyes as she tries to stifle the urge to hug him. It could simply be fluke. A trick of the brain that is healing. And she dare not linger on the prospect of hope. She tried that before, and it didn't exactly work out in her favour.

"I'm your doctor. I see you everyday." She smiles, patting his chest softly. "For six years we've known each other." It's been longer, but again, he doesn't know that.

Robin frowns at that. "No. I mean I remember who you are."

She doesn't exactly know what to say to that, just tilts her head to the side curiously, "And who am I?"

"Regina. That's your name. Regina Evelyn Mills."

Her jaw drops. In the past six years her middle name has never been brought up. Not once.

"You're right." She swallows thickly at the bubble of hope caught in her throat.

"You grew up in Maine, in a small town where you used to be the mayor."

A tear falls from her eyes as she nods, bites down on her lip not wanting to interrupt his break through. It takes a moment, a long frozen second in time that he turns his eyes down to her hand that is gripped within his own, the single silver band around her left finger, one that matches a ring that sits on his left hand.

"You were my wife." He whispers out.

A half laugh half cry escapes her as she reaches with her free hand to tip his chin up, finding his eyes staring up at her in disbelieving promise.

"No," She leans into his lips, uncaring if anyone were to walk in as her forehead meets his own, "I am your wife."

He closes the distance before she can, pressing their lips softly together as her tears fall.

"I...I remember you."

Fin.


	91. Cake

**#161 - Regina or Robin suffers a sex related injury.**

She has never seen the Queen eat or even touch a slice of her famous chocolate cake. Not once. Everyone else loves it. But the Queen just passes by it silently. Except for today. She'd come in all draped in silk and velvets, and marched right up to the dessert table in the great hall and deposited a rather large piece onto her plate.

Which means something is off. The Queen doesn't eat cake. She doesn't sit and twiddle her fork between mouthfuls of sugary sweets and eye up the door as though something fantastic is about to walk through them. And yet, the longer she watches the way the Queen is spooning down the chocolatey concoction, the more apparent it becomes that behind the metal little utensil, the Queen is smiling. Actually smiling. Some bizarre shy thing that Granny can without a shred of doubt, down to her very bones, knows she has never ever seen this smile grace the Queen's face before. There is nothing fake, or masked about it.

She is smiling like a love sick pup if she's ever seen it. And eating chocolate cake! Something is definitely different with the woman. She watches the Regina for a few moments, and on occasion she see's the Queen stretch her neck, her hand moving to the back of her head and rubbing gently at the back of her scalp with a grimace. Perhaps it's a headache. That could explain the sudden interest in dessert, a brain injury that has Regina's plate consumed with anything but her usual pitiful stack of vegetables she rarely touches. Granny makes a mental note to ask her about it later.

The hall door opens, and the Merry Men come bustling through, in a stampede towards Granny and the buffet. Endless bottomless pits they are. Adorable and rather funny, but they could eat her out of this entire castle if she let them.

Her cake is gone before she can blink, the scones and tarts vanished as the forest men kiss her cheek and make her blush over how damn delicious these treats are. Bunch of suck ups. And then there is their leader. Who saddles up behind them with a shake of his head before he grimaces and pinches his nose with a groan.

It's broken. His nose.

She asks with a cocked eyebrow, and his cheeks flood red when he shrugs something about hitting a hard surface and walks over to his table with the men. But his eyes flick up innocently to the crowd around him, to a table sitting a touch higher than the rest. Where the Queen is licking off the last remnants of chocolate frosting from her fingers.

She's looking at him too. The Queen is actually looking at the thief. And without her usual contempt and hostility towards the man. It has Granny's eyes widening as she watches the way Regina grins from behind her spoon and taps her nose with a wink. Robin smiles, grabs his fork with a slice of cake teetering on it's edges and winks back.

Broken noses. Head injuries. A new found love for chocolate cake. And a pair of dopey poorly hidden smiles being traded back and forth.

Granny smirks as she grabs herself a slice of apple pie. Clearly cake isn't the only thing the Queen is trying these days. And it's about damn time too.

Fin.


	92. Ravenna

**Regina meets the baby of DarkOQ for the first time. (#27)**

* * *

When she heard what happened, the world fell out from under her feet. She cried for days, weeks, inconsolably locked in her room where not even Henry returning from his travels could persuade her out of. How could the world be so damn cruel?

And cruelty never sleeps, just leaves a wake of devastation it's in path and walks forward without even a second glance to those it torments behind. It's the story of her life really. Being thrown heartbreak after heartbreak and having to force her feet to get up and move forward one step at a time.

She thought she was done with all that after Robin died nearly six years ago, but life is ruthless and unkind still. And now she finds herself frantically nervous at the light knock against her door that echoes out like thunder.

This was not how she anticipate this situation happening. There should have been smiles, and possibly a few happy tears, but not this. Never this. But what was she going to do? Say no? That was just not possible. It wasn't part of her DNA to do something that horrible as to turn her back away and run.

Fumbling with her hair that curls just below her shoulders, a shaky breath expels with every click of her heels against the wood floors that bring her closer to the white door. It's another knock that has her hand flying to the knob, but not quite turning it, fear running rampant in her heart as to what is on the other side, or rather whom.

"Perhaps she's at Granny's." A low muffled voice whispers sadly from the other side. And it would be so easy to just let them walk away. But that's not her. She will not hide from this. Swallowing the bile in her throat and begging the high heavens to keep her tears at bay she twists the golden handle, the chill of winter blowing into her quiet mansion as two people turn slowly back around to face her.

It's all blue eyes, long dark chocolate hair, deep set dimples, and a small spattering of freckles on pink cheeks. She's beautiful. This little girl that stares up at her in shocked silence, clinging to the hand of the strange man tighter as her little feet shuffle her even smaller body behind his legs. She is absolutely stunning. Even as she hides herself away.

Perhaps Regina isn't the only one absolutely terrified of meeting the other. But children are her kryptonite. More than that, children who have big alligator tears that bloom against thick lashes and fall onto rose tinted cheeks are her weakness. It's the mother in her. The demanding need to comfort and soothe the fears away.

Kneeling down even though her pants soak in the light spattering of snow on the porch, she folds her hands in her lap, as small as she can make herself, she sits back on her feet and smiles at the curious sapphire blue eyes that watch her from behind khaki pants.

"Hello, Ravenna. My name is Regina."

The little girl's curls hide her face as she shrinks away, and it makes Regina's heart clench tight. God, she looks so much like them. Almost to a point where it aches in Regina's very soul. This could have been her life, had her thief not gotten in her way one last time. They could have had this.

Regina swallows against the spear in her chest, "I know this is all very scary, but I promise you, I won't hurt you." She extends her palm out openly to the small child who peers widely from her curtain of hair.

The man beside her kneels down as well, kisses her cheek and pats her bum gently, "It's okay little one, go say hi."

They exchange a look, this stranger and the little girl, a quick terrified shake of dark curls and watery eyes before a puff of dark green magic blooms out of her hands. For a moment she freezes, wildly staring at Regina to see if she noticed what just happened, even as she stuffs her little hands quickly behind her, looking afraid at the magical outburst, or perhaps at Regina's reaction to it. Clearly she's tapped into her abilities quite young. Six years old if Regina remembers correctly. In fact, this little princess's birthday is only two months away.

She will have to make sure it's special.

"I have magic too." Regina twiddles her fingers, letting lavender pops of fireworks bloom into the sky. "See." She smiles, as bright blue eyes follow the spectacle in absolute wonder. For a second she wishes she would have set a barrier around her clothes, lest she freeze herself to death in the cold right now, but this is more important. Easing the rampant nerves of a tiny girl who has no idea who she is.

"Want to see something else?"

The little brunette nods, stepping out a touch closer towards Regina curiously. A flurry of bubbles billow about from her hand, popping gently above the child's head, letting a sparkling rainstorm fall down on top of her curls. It makes her giggle. A small, beautiful sound that has Regina nearly faltering in the mask of strength she desperately is trying to hold up.

She lets another batch go, watches with a beaming smile through tears as the girl reaches up to poke at the spheres, her dimples bursting through as she laughs and reaches for another. She really does look so much like them.

"Can you show me something with your magic now?"

Blue eyes meet brown, and Regina holds her breath. She neither shifts forward or back as Ravenna stills on the spot, a tiny crease in her brow as the internal debate rages on behind her bright sapphire eyes. She can see it clear as day. The replication of herself in this little girl, the way her lips purse a touch tighter, nose scrunches up defensively, but it's her eyes that give her away.

"You don't have to be scared." She smiles gently.

The little girl steps forward tentatively, step by step, her eyes widening with each and she reaches her tiny chubby pink hand to softly touch Regina's fingertips. It tingles and warms instantly as magic floods into her, a memory that swirls in a green forest fog, and suddenly that's exactly where she is.

In the forest, watching through the eyes of this little girl, who is tucked into her mother's arms as she reads a bedtime story, low and soft. A hand brushing through her curls gently, the feeling of a steady heartbeat against her back as a page turns. She smells like the lavender fields they played in, of rich warm sunshine and vanilla cake baked earlier today. Her skin is soft under the light creme dress they both match in. Her mother is beautiful, and she hopes one day she will be just like her.

Cuddling in tighter, her heart is happy, comfortable, and completely enthralled in the way her mother's voice pitches and hums out the words she can't yet read. But the book is alive with tiny characters, a heroic prince in the midst of saving the princess from a terrible dragon who breathes a roar of miniscule fire. It's her favorite part of the story.

A door cracks open.

"Daddy!"

He walks in with a smile, bends down, runs his fingers over her cheek affectionately, grins a "Hello, my little love," and presses a kiss to her forehead. She can feel the heat of the contact, the way his large hand cups the back of her head, she is so small and he so big. He snuggles her tight for a moment, letting the smell of pine trees and fresh river water rush over her, he waits a beat, tips his stubbly chin down and smiles mischievously. She knows what he is about to do, bites down on her lip in anticipation and his hands move and she shrieks when he scoops her up high into the sky with a happy laugh, twirling them both about before falling back onto the bed.

She is breathless from giggling.

She feels loved, and safe, snuggling into her mother's side, toying with a lock of dark chocolate curls, her father wrapping a hand around her tummy, securing her tight to them both, immediately finding warmth between them.

"What are we reading tonight, my girl?"

And this is how her heart usually finds calm. Where the monsters can't get her, and the scary people dare not try. Her parents protect her and she is safe with them. Always.

The memory fades and all Regina can see is the tears swelling on the thick lashes of this little girl who stares up at her soul shatteringly sadly. "Ravenna. I'm so sorry."

A hand reaches to touch Regina's cheek, uncertainty in every flicker of her blue eyes as she takes in the features she knows far too well, ones that were of another woman who was taken away from her. Her hair isn't long like her mother's, but the color of chestnuts is the same. And she doesn't smell like lavender and vanilla, but of roses and chocolate. It's different, not really what she wants, but it's similar. Her eyes are identical though, big, brown, and beautiful. But these eyes look at her differently.

She is sad, and there is sadness behind that sadness even. But everything else is the same and it makes the tiny heart in her chest ache.

"You look just like my mommy did."

Regina sighs, bites back the burning of tears and reaches out to tuck a curl behind Ravenna's little ears, taking a moment to marvel at it's length and softness. She does look so much like her mother, this tiny replica of a woman, now resting somewhere better as they say, alongside her soulmate, and Regina's as well.

All three of them gone, and still she remains here. Did she mention how cruel life could be?

"I know."

Ravenna sniffs hard, and Regina tilts her chin up to catch her eyes. "You know what though?" The little girl shakes her head, curls bouncing about her tiny shoulders encased in a soft green cloak.

"So do you." She smiles, letting her thumb trace along the swells of her niece's freckled cheeks, "But your eyes, they are all your daddy's."

A tiny lip trembles. Regina's does at the same time.

It's cold outside, but the frozen concrete that has her knees soaked and aching barely registers when the little girl takes the last step and melts her body into Regina's arms, burrowing herself in as close as she can. She hugs her fiercely tight, combing through long chestnut curls, and swaying them gently from side to side. She feels it first, the chill of fingertips that dig their way underneath her shirt, search for a moment before steadying on top of her heart.

Ravenna sighs and sinks into it. It feels like mommy's heartbeat. Strong, steady and safe.

"I miss them."

"Me too. But I promise, I'll take care of you okay?"

"Okay."

Regina smiles, and inhales a much needed breath of relief as she scoops up her niece, and nods to the man who still stands on her front walkway. He just smiles and turns to walk down the pathway.

They had talked about it years ago, what would happen to their daughter, should anything unfortunate happen to them. They asked, and she promised.

And it's a promise she never intends to break.

Fin.


	93. Nothing Changes

**Day 5:**

 **Robin telling Regina he can't have children. (#187)**

* * *

She spies him in the corner booth as she enters the diner, smiling brightly at the little baby boy in his arms, a complete replica of David with chubbier cheeks and Snow's eyes. But Neal is definitely going to be a heartbreaker when he is older. And Robin is apparently his next victim of infatuation. He bounces the boy happily on his knees, chuckling as fat fingers poke at his face. It stills her for a moment, seeing him with a baby.

It's a chance she never thought she'd have, but thanks to a little (well a lot) of persuasion and the help of Belle, Rumple had figured out how to reverse Regina's infertility with a potion. A small vial of clear liquid that sits heavy in her pocket, burning a silent hole into Regina's thigh. It's been two days since she got it, and there hasn't exactly been a time to sit quietly with her husband and tell him.

But right now, seeing him play with a baby, it makes her mind fly into the future, the possibility of it being their own biological child that babbles in his lap. It's perhaps just that which has kept her from actually telling him about it. Children aren't about biology. Having the same DNA as their parents doesn't truly mean anything. Love is what bonds people together. Any two people. And they have adopted each other children, and there isn't a lack of affection for them just because they weren't conceived between them.

It's more the prospect of having another baby, swaddling diapers and midnight feedings in a rocking chair that has her excited. To be able to raise a child from birth with Robin. That is what has her heart stumbling over itself.

His eyes flick up and meet hers across the diner, and if possible he smiles even bigger, just because she is here. It makes her feel like a lovesick fool sometimes. The way this man can have the blood rushing into her cheeks with a simple grin. She settles beside him, nuzzling Neal on the nose as he immediately crawls his way into her lap.

"Playing babysitter?"

"David and Snow had to help Emma with unpacking."

"Ahh yes. Today is moving day."

"Indeed. And I figured that baby time was a lot better than moving couches and boxes."

"Well I agree with you on that."

They order lunch, Robin and Regina traded sideways glances at each other as Neal babbles between them, happy as a clown to be with his God Parents.

"I need to tell you something." Regina sips on her coffee, stealing her nerves as Robin peers over Neal's blonde head of hair with a curious cock in his eyebrow. "Something good or something bad?"

"It's just something. It doesn't have to change anything. But we need to talk about it."

"Okay?" He frowns slightly, plopping Neal down into his own booster seat so he can turn fully towards Regina. The way she said "talk" has him a bit anxious.

Blowing out a breath, Regina reaches over to lace her fingers with his, "Rumple found a way to reverse my infertility."

"Oh." His eyes fall from hers, and he stares down into his own mug of tea. "Well that's good?"

She stares at him, trying to hide the fact that his answer wasn't exactly the reaction she was hoping for. Clearing her throat, she flicks her eyes up to his, trying to figure out why he is staring down at his own coffee like it just told him it was all poison. "I know we haven't talked about having more kids but, this just gives us an option."

"Right."

"You don't seem happy about it." She sighs.

That seems to snap him out of it. The soft dejection in her voice. It has him shaking his head and reaching for her hands, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, "Regina, I am. I'm sorry. I really am." He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. Something hides behind the bright blue dazzle.

Her lips twitch,"But?"

Robin exhales hard, toys with the ring on her finger momentarily before running his free hand through his tousled hair, and for christ sake he looks like he is either about to cry or fall into a million pieces right in front of her. "I...I guess I also need to tell you something."

She braces herself, his less than joyful reaction can only mean one thing, "You don't want more kids?" Her hair falls to hide her eyes so he can't see how shaken up she is by this revelation. Clearly she should have talked to him about reversing her fertility before asking Rumple for help.

"Oh Regina, no. It's not that." His fingers brush her chocolate locks out of the way and he sighs, a deep frown crevassed into his forehead. And she wishes she could have held back the crack in her voice as she muffled out, "Then what's wrong?"

"I can't."

"You can't what?" Regina stares at him bewildered, a beat of silence passing between them as Robin grimaces and reaches down to graze the silk of her blouse over her stomach. It hits her like a ice cold train, it's the exact same look she had in her eyes after she took the potion all those years ago. "Robin..."

"After Roland was born, I got into an accident. It took away my ability…"Tears flush his eyes, a hard sniffle follows with a shake of his head in defeat. "To be a father again."

"Well that's just not true."

"What?"

It's Regina's turn to smile, breathing out a soft relieved breath that it is only biology and not personal preference over having a baby with her. "We have kids." She squeezes his hand, "And you are their father." Her lips press to his gently, and she feels him relax into her affection.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you."

"Perhaps." Her shoulders shrug as she bumps him with her arm, "But we never thought this would be an option for us anyway."

He nods, his mouth parts into a dismal half grin, as his eyes drop from her once more and back down to Neal who is fists deep in applesauce. "Still. I should have said something."

"Robin look at me. This changes nothing okay?"

"But we can't have a child of our own."

Never in her life did she think between the two of them, she would be the one to have to pull the other out of a dark place. A sad place where it seems impossible to climb out of. He is usually that person for her. "Do you not consider Henry your son? Or me Roland's mother?"

"That's not what I meant." He scrunches his nose and laces their fingers back together.

"I know, but biology isn't everything. You and I know that down to the very core. We can always look at adopting again."

"You'd be okay with that?"

"Of course. If it's something we want to consider, having another child, then yes I would absolutely be okay with it."

Finally Robin actually smiles, that smile that has her heart spiralling out of control as he leans in to kiss her first this time. Sucking on her lower lip with a nip as she chuckles through a stifled moan. They are in public still, and supposed to be watching Neal not playing tonsil tennis. Seeming at ease, Robin sits back, hoisting Neal into his lap again before passing him off to Regina who cradles the small boy into her chest.

"Do you think Rumpelstiltskin would know how to help me?"

"He might. But it's not something we need to do if you don't want too. Like I said, there are a hundred babies out there waiting for a family."

"I know. But there is a part of me that can't get the image of you pregnant with my child out of my mind."

Well, if she wasn't already blushing before from their kiss, that certainly will do it. And it's not a lie to say she too hasn't thought about how it would feel. All swollen and round with his baby, and which one of them their child would take after. And not that it would matter but thinking about having a little mini version of herself or Robin is quite enthralling.

"I'd be fat as a whale, and moody."

Robin laughs, kisses her cheek and with a soft whispered "You'd still be beautiful to me.", he has Regina's lips splitting into an uncontrollable smile.

Damn Thief.

Fin.


	94. Short and Scruffy

**Day 5 Part 2:**

 **Them having a conversation about her cutting her hair, why did she do it, him running his fingers through it. (#130)**

* * *

She hates it. And he loves it. But it doesn't really matter. She still hates it. The way he no longer can card through at long length, sweeping a curl behind her ears and letting his fingers twirl about in her hair. It's short. And she misses the way he touched her when it was hitting below her shoulders.

It's all wrong now. Too short to tie into a ponytail. Too short to move behind her ears when she needs to see. Too fucking short to do well anything but let it hang there. And she hates it. Tries not too when she catches him looking at her in the reflection of her mirror. His eyes see too much. They understand the things she doesn't want to talk about.

The point is he is back. She figured out how to split her soul into two, with the help of the Queen before she left to live her own happy ending, and he is back. That's important. Not the way that curl flips beside her cheekbone that she wants to shear off. There is no time for her own demons. They are supposed to be happy and together.

But she can't help but scowl as she brushes through it. And for once, she just wishes she had back the length it was in the Enchanted Forest. Heavy and tangled as it could be, at least it was something better than the mop on her head right now. She hates it. Resigns herself to the fact it will do nothing but sit in a simple bob and nothing else.

"Love, you almost ready?" His voice draws her away from the inner irritation. He's back. She needs to focus on that. On him. Smiling to hide the fear inside, she turns, stands and grabs her clutch. They are having a date night. The first one since that time in her office when he put her heart back. Her hair was a perfect length back then.

His hands find her fingers as she fiddles with her watch, and when her eyes disobey her mind and look up, she sees the one thing she swore she'd never see again. Sadness in his gaze. He is sad because of her. And dammit her hair falls pitifully so in front of her face as she bows away from him. It's not the time for this conversation about how she spent a night in a whiskey induced state with puffy eyes and a snotty nose, slicing her locks into the bathroom sink because she missed him. Missed him so goddamn much that even the sight of her hair drilled a hole through her already broken heart.

She didn't want to have to run her fingers through it when all it would do is remind her of him. How he'd smile that stupidly adorable dimpled grin as he combed delicately through her hair before he'd kiss her. She didn't want the reminder of nights where she would fall asleep to him massaging her scalp and taking deep and steady breaths against her temple, always commenting how he loved her hair. She even changed her conditioner after she lost him. Just the smell of lavender made her sick to her stomach. He loved how she smelled. Claimed that lavender was the perfect compliment to pine.

It's vanilla honey now. Her conditioner. She hasn't changed it back, not without feeling him roll his knuckles through her wet hair in the shower as the scent of soft flowers infused the bathroom and coated the steamed walls. Eventually she will change it back. Maybe. Once her hair has finally grown out to an acceptable length.

"I have a confession to make." Robin sighs, and tips her chin up with his finger. Her brow raises silently at the way he bites down on his lower lip, blue eyes flicking around her face. And this is it. He is going to tell her how he wishes her hair was different. That he too misses the length it once was. That he just feels as though it doesn't suit her anymore.

"Please hear me out before you say anything."

She frowns, but nods a tad nervously.

"It's the way you style your hair."

See she knew it. She hates it and he hates it too. She's buying a bloody wig tomorrow. Will glue and duct tape it to her scalp and never take it off. Ever.

"It's just so…"

"Short." She supplies dejectedly. "I know. I'm sorry. It will grow out, it just take a bit of time. I hate it too."

It's Robin's turn to scowl, creases in his forehead deepening as he sees a line of tears brim on her lashes she desperately tries to blink away before he can notice. But he does notice. It's one of the things he prides himself on most. Being able to tell exactly what ails her when everyone else looks away. Even if she says nothing, it's just a simple expression that passes across her features for a fraction of a second and he knows what's wrong. Perhaps it's the soulmate thing.

"I'll try and find a potion to speed up the process."

"I'd be loathe to let you do that."

Her eyes fly to his, big, brown and completely confused. She's adorable. And he loves her. Chuckling to himself, he runs his hand through her hair, thumbing the curl that sits beside her jawline. "That what I have to confess. You have always been beautiful Regina. And it's not secret between us and most of my Merry Men and well everyone else in this town that I had somewhat of an affinity with your hair." Well that makes her blush, for a second, but the tears build and burn because she knows this too.

"But, this shorter style. Well, it has me absolutely besotted."

"What?"

"Tis true. I find myself completely enraptured with the way it frames your face, highlights your cheekbones, and from every single angle, I can see your eyes."

"You actually like it this short?"

Robin smiles, really smiles and leans in to kiss her soft and chastely as she stands there rather stunned at this revelation. He likes it. No. He loves it. Adores this ridiculous bob because it means he can see her without a curtain of hair to hide behind.

"I adore it. I adore you."

Perhaps she can live with it like this a little while longer. For him. Because he is back and he loves her, and for the first time since that night in her bathroom half drunk crying over the sheared off curls, she actually feels, well kind of pretty.

Pretty because he likes it. "Well, if you insist. You could use a haircut though." Regina blushes and scratches her fingers through his beard, "And a shave. Scruffy thief."

"Don't lie, you like me scruffy."

"I just like you."

Fin.


	95. Chapter 95

"You know, you piss me off."

"Do I?"

"Yes."

"Pray tell, what I've done this time to ruffle your feathers, Regina?"

"That! Using my name."

"Saying your name has you all up in a tiffed state?"

"It's the way you say it."

"Oh? And how would you prefer me to say it?"

"You could just... not."

"Not call you by your name? And what would you prefer to be addressed as?"

"Your Majesty works well enough."

"Hmmm, doesn't quite roll off the tongue as nicely."

"You and your tongue."

"My tongue?"

"Yes. It irritates me."

"Well, I apologize for that."

"Good. You should."

"Anything else?"

"Yes. You can pour me another glass of wine, silently."

"Giving orders now?"

"I am the Queen."

"So I've been told."

"Then you should know I don't like to be questioned."

"You know, five glasses of merlot is going to give you one hell of a hangover tomorrow."

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

"Just speaking the truth, Regina."

"There you go again! You need to learn to shut that pretty face of yours up."

"Pretty face?"

"What?"

"You called my face pretty."

"No...I didn't."

"Now, now, Regina, no need to lie."

"I'm not."

"You find me attractive don't you? That's why you are acting like this."

"I'm not acting like anything."

"You're mad at me."

"Observant aren't you."

"Is it because I kissed you earlier?"

"What? No. And that wasn't a kiss."

"Oh? Then what was it?"

"It was nothing."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying."

"But you still think I have a pretty face?"

"You know what, just go away."

"What if I'd like to stay and explore this attraction you appear to have for me."

"It would be a short conversation because I don't like you."

"No? So if I poured myself a glass of your wine and sat down beside you, would you kick me out?"

"I...It would be a waste of wine on my floors after I sent you off with my magic."

"And we can't have wasted wine now can we?"

"Not unless you want to pay for it with your head on a spike."

"That doesn't seem very pleasant. For either of us."

"I think I'd be fine with it."

"How would you get to see my _pretty face_ in all it's living glory then?"

"Yes what a tragedy that would be to not have you around."

"Well if I can't convince to steal a cup of wine from you, then how about a good night kiss?"

"Ha! In your dreams."

"Well that is true. I have dreamt of your lips. On many occasions I might add."

"What? Why?"

"Because, Your Majesty. You have a beautiful face."

"I never called you beautiful."

"But I am pretty right?"

"I suppose you're easy on the eyes."

"See, I knew you liked me."

Fin.


	96. Chapter 96

"You know, you piss me off."

"Do I?"

"Yes."

"Pray tell, what I've done this time to ruffle your feathers, Regina?"

"That! Using my name."

"Saying your name has you all up in a tiffed state?"

"It's the way you say it."

"Oh? And how would you prefer me to say it?"

"You could just... not."

"Not call you by your name? And what would you prefer to be addressed as?"

"Your Majesty works well enough."

"Hmmm, doesn't quite roll off the tongue as nicely."

"You and your tongue."

"My tongue?"

"Yes. It irritates me."

"Well, I apologize for that."

"Good. You should."

"Anything else?"

"Yes. You can pour me another glass of wine, silently."

"Giving orders now?"

"I am the Queen."

"So I've been told."

"Then you should know I don't like to be questioned."

"You know, five glasses of merlot is going to give you one hell of a hangover tomorrow."

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

"Just speaking the truth, Regina."

"There you go again! You need to learn to shut that pretty face of yours up."

"Pretty face?"

"What?"

"You called my face pretty."

"No...I didn't."

"Now, now, Regina, no need to lie."

"I'm not."

"You find me attractive don't you? That's why you are acting like this."

"I'm not acting like anything."

"You're mad at me."

"Observant aren't you."

"Is it because I kissed you earlier?"

"What? No. And that wasn't a kiss."

"Oh? Then what was it?"

"It was nothing."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying."

"But you still think I have a pretty face?"

"You know what, just go away."

"What if I'd like to stay and explore this attraction you appear to have for me."

"It would be a short conversation because I don't like you."

"No? So if I poured myself a glass of your wine and sat down beside you, would you kick me out?"

"I...It would be a waste of wine on my floors after I sent you off with my magic."

"And we can't have wasted wine now can we?"

"Not unless you want to pay for it with your head on a spike."

"That doesn't seem very pleasant. For either of us."

"I think I'd be fine with it."

"How would you get to see my _pretty face_ in all it's living glory then?"

"Yes what a tragedy that would be to not have you around."

"Well if I can't convince to steal a cup of wine from you, then how about a good night kiss?"

"Ha! In your dreams."

"Well that is true. I have dreamt of your lips. On many occasions I might add."

"What? Why?"

"Because, Your Majesty. You have a beautiful face."

"I never called you beautiful."

"But I am pretty right?"

"I suppose you're easy on the eyes."

"See, I knew you liked me."

Fin.


	97. Roland The Queen

**Roland wants to dress like the EQ - or something like it….. (#103)**

The house is rather quiet when she finally gets home. Which is odd. Henry and Violet are back home, Roland is home from work or at least he should be, Evelyn's dance class finished at five and Robin picked up the twins earlier today from school. So there should be that normal utter chaos greeting her at the door. But it's silent.

Toeing off her shoes she drops her tote and hangs up her jacket, cocking an eyebrow at the dim lighting throughout the entire house. "Hello? Anyone home?" No one answers but upstairs she hears a muffle of voices. Perhaps they just didn't hear her come home. Skipping up the steps she follows a burst of laughter that can only be Henry's low tone, and oddly, it's coming from her own bedroom. The door half ajar and the closer she gets the more voices she can hear all chiming in.

"Daddy come on! You're taking forever!" Riley's sweet call chimes out as Regina peers into the room. Finding four of her babies all sprawled out on her bed. Robin built an extra large one after the twins were born and vehemently demanded that they were to sleep in "Mommy and Daddy's bed." And well Regina is a sucker for puppy eyes and the little girls have had Robin wrapped around their fingers since they day they were conceived.

"You'd think he'd be faster at this." Evelyn slumps down beside Violet, shaking her long red curls in a silent request to be braided by her sister in law. "I mean Mom wore corsets for years, Dad should know how to lace one up."

The comment has Regina's eyes widening. Robin is lacing up a corset? Why in God's name would he be doing that? She has a few of her old Enchanted Forest gowns tucked away in her closet, a couple corsets and black leather pants she couldn't bring herself to part with. But it's been years since she's even looked at them.

From between Henry and Riley, a pile of red velvet moves, and Rose's blonde locks come popping out of the puddle of clothing. She loves that dress. They both do. When they were younger Regina had found her little girl playing with it fondly. Stroking the soft texture and admiring the jewel encrusted bodice. She's an absolute girly girl. Loves playing dress up and with Regina's makeup. Her hair always needing to be done perfectly before she heads off to six grade. Riley is the complete opposite. Stuck in jeans and her favorite green t shirt Regina literally has to pry off her daughter in order to wash. She likes mud and dirt and playing in the trees like her father. Both girls are the perfect combination of their parents.

The bathroom door pops open, and Robin comes out running a hand through his silver hair with a smile. Age certainly has been kind to him. His eyes are still the brightest blue, dimples still deep and adorable. And while his hair may have salted out, and the crinkles at the corners of his eyes longer, there isn't a day that goes by that Regina pinches herself that she has such a beautiful man to call her husband.

"Well, I think we are ready."

"Finally!" Riley exclaims, bouncing up to her knees beside her twin, Violet and Evelyn saddling up beside them and Henry leaning against the pillows curiously. The one baby she is missing though is Roland. Her strapping sixteen year old son who has grown up so fast. And for a boy who lived in the forest, he certainly has changed quite a lot. No longer are his interests overtaken by forest living and mud pies, but more inclined towards his sketch pad and a certain friend he blushes at every time Regina questions were he is.

"Okay, drum roll please!" Robin pats his hands down on the bedside table as he sits amongst his kids. Rose is quick to climb into his lap, still wrapped up in Regina's gown. Twelve pairs of hands beat down on the mattress, and Regina's eyes flick over to the bathroom door that slowly opens a bit wider. And her jaw drops.

He looks, well amazing. Tied up in one of her dresses. A dark sapphire blue that hugs his olive skin tightly. If it's possible Regina almost thinks he looks better in the gown than she ever did. It just highlights his eyes and the soft curl of his hair, perfectly combed over to one side. He's even done his makeup. Dark eyeliner, mascara, a hint of blush and a dark plum lipstick.

"Damn Ro! You look smoking hot!" Henry hoops from the bed, making Roland blush. He's still so shy, but within the safety of their family he's free to be himself. Dressed to the nines in a gown, jewels and a sparkle in his eyes. He truly does look beautiful.

"Give us a twirl!" Violet chimes in, beaming brighter than the sun. And the entire room erupts in a cheer as Roland swirls himself around, giving them all a pointed stare and air smooch over his shoulder. "Jesse is gonna have a heart attack when he sees you!"

Rose squeezes her way out of Robin's arms and grabs the gown half draped across her and wobbles over to Roland, clearly wearing a pair of Regina's heels underneath the dress that nearly swallows her whole. "You look so pretty!"

"Aww thanks, Rosie. So do you!" Roland bends down to pick up his younger sibling saddling her on his hip as he busses his nose into her cheek. It makes her daughter giggle for a moment before she looks over Roland's shoulder and scowls. "Daddy needs to practice tying up the corset."

Robin blushes, and rolls his eyes as everyone laughs and pokes at him. "Hey now! It's been awhile!" He squirms away as Evelyn and Riley climb on top of his lap, effectively squashing him back into the bed. With both arms he wraps his girls into a tight unbreakable hold, rolling them all back over till he can break himself free with a laugh.

"Seriously though, Dad, did you tie this with your eyes closed?" Roland snorts with a hand on his hip, having put Rose back down to inspect his dad's handy work, or lack thereof. The ties are twisted and missing out of two loops in the back. "I mean mom wore corsets all the time, surely you'd know how to do them up." He laughs, grinning as his fellow brother and sisters all giggle.

"In my defence, I know how to untie them much better." Robin winks to the crowd.

Well that does it. A pillow goes flying into his chest and the twins and Evelyn charge towards him, playfully hauling him down into the bed as he howls happily, whilst Henry and Roland both groan and roll their eyes rather disgustedly at the underlying comment.

"That was uncalled for, dad." Roland huffs, fixing the diamond necklace.

"Yeah seriously, the last thing I need is to imagine you undressing mom." A red faced Henry gruffs in agreement, opting to find something outside much more captivating.

"And how do you think you all got here?"

"Well Roland and I are adopted."

"And the girls?"

"Artificial Insemination?"

"A stork dropped them off?"

"Santa Clause?"

Robin laughs and finally spies Regina leaning half hidden against the bedroom door. They share a quick smile.

"Daddy?" Rose's brow scrunches up as she wriggles her way into his lap once more.

"Yes my little love?"

"How are babies made?"

The room goes dead silent as Robin's eyes flare wide, a red tint to his cheeks creeping in as he fumbles for words. Regina's eyebrow cocks at him from the doorway, curious as to how he is going to play this one.

"Well, uh. You see, when a mommy and a daddy love each other...they uh…." His eyes flick to Roland who watches far too amused at his father's embarrassment. Henry snickers beside him, but Violet is quick to smack his chest with a pointed scowl, hushing him rather abruptly.

"Am I interrupting?" Regina steps into the room, saving her husband from any further awkwardness.

"Mommy!" An eruption of screams follow as her girls come flying towards her, slamming their small bodies into her as she kneels down and hugs them all tight. Robin lets out a relieved breath and smiles gratefully at her from their bed as she winks that half adorable squint of her eyes at him. She can't wink, and he loves it.

Standing she lets the girls take her hands and lead her back to the bed, squishing themselves up as tight as possible as Robin presses a quick kiss to her cheek. Her eyes wander up to Roland, who still stands in one of her gowns, the first time she's ever seen him dressed all up like this and he looks somewhat nervous all of a sudden, fiddling with the jewelled hem on his sleeve.

"You know, I'm a bit miffed looking at you."

"Sorry, I should have asked."

"Don't be ridiculous." She pries herself out of the bed, and walks slowly over to her son, around his back and circling around till they are met eye to eye. He's so tall now. A good three inches above her. "I think if it's possible, you look better in this dress than I ever did."

Roland beams, bites down on his lip and flutters his painted eyelashes at her. "Thanks, mom."

"And Violet's right. Jesse is going to faint when he sees you."

A blush flares into Roland's cheek. "You think? He hasn't exactly told his parents we are dating, and I think this may be a bit too much for his parents to handle."

"Well they'd have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not see how perfect the two of you are together."

"You've only met him twice. How do you know?"

She smiles, squeezes his hand and turns back to find Robin's eyes dancing up at her. "Sometimes you just know." Her stomach swirls into a pile of butterflies as she looks at her family, all pinned together on her bed, happy as can be. "And as much as I like this color on you." She faces Roland again, "I think the green one would look even better on you. Plus it will match Jesse's eyes. You two will look amazing together for the dance."

"Oh, I'm not wearing a dress for that. Jesse's parents would freak out. As would the entire school."

"So?"

"Mom." Roland gives Regina a sad look. "I haven't exactly told anyone else."

Well that has Regina's heart sliding straight into a dagger. He's been open with them about all of this since well, since the first time Regina caught him in one of her skirts and blouses last year. Her son is gay, a boy named Jesse makes his heart stumbled over itself, and occasionally he likes to dress up as in Regina's old gowns. It's not big deal, and there isn't a single person in this household that has thought otherwise.

"I figured I'd just get a really nice dress shirt and a bowtie for the dance instead of giving everyone an aneurysm."

"You could." Regina shrugs as she lifts her fingers underneath her beautiful boys chin, "But to hell with everyone, if _this_ …" she gestures at his gown with a smile, "...makes you happy, don't hide it from everyone."

"Kids can be cruel."

"Yeah dumb ones." Henry slides up beside them and places a hand on Roland's shoulder. "Mom's right Ro. Just be you. And if anyone so much as gives you a single ounce of trouble, well I have two fists, dad has his bow, and then there is always mom's fireballs."

"Violence won't make them any less stupid, Henry." Regina bumps her shoulder, "But he's right. I'll torch anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."

Roland bites his lip, gnawing on it nervously for a few minutes as he fiddles with the sleeves of the dress. "I think you are right. The green one would bring out Jesse's eyes. Still think I can try it on?"

"Of course. But only if you let me tie the corset this time. You're father was always terrible at it."

"Hey! I can hear you!"

"You know it's true." She grins at her husband's pout. "But I will agree, you're an expert at taking them off."

"Oh. My. God. Mom!" Roland spins incredulously in her gown, stomping back into the bathroom with a far too flamboyant wave of his hand. "You two are so gross."

Fin.


	98. Home for the Homeless 2

**Home for the Homeless Verse**

 **Part 2: "It's nice to meet you"**

* * *

His house is nothing like she pictured it would be. Not with the tailored suits, leather dress shoes and rolex watches he wears that exude expensive. It's big, there is no doubt about that. But where she expected hard lines, and chrome structured finishes to be adorning the place, it's, in all honesty, the exact opposite. It's soft, calm painted green walls with white crown moulding, beautiful hand scraped dark hardwood flooring that her heels click on as he leads her past his living room, furnished with comfy couches and a rather large TV entertainment system. It feels warm. Everything about his home is comforting, gentle, like him in an odd way.

Her eyes wander to a few black and white photos hanging on a wall, dark gun metal grey frames that house happy smiles of himself and a dark haired woman she assumes is his wife, though in the three years she's known him, she's never noticed a wedding ring. Not that it means anything, perhaps they are just people that don't wear rings? One photo has his arms wrapped around her shoulders, nose nuzzled into the woman's curls as she beams up at the camera. It's a gorgeous photo. _They look like a picture perfect couple,_ Regina muses as she scans over to the next one and her heart stumbles at the big button brown eyes that sparkle amidst a deep dimpled grin, two front teeth missing and what she assumes is chocolate sauce smothered around his chubby cheeks. He's beautiful. Looks just like his mother, down to the soft olive skin tone, dark chestnut eyes and curly mop of hair.

"That would be your chef for this morning." Robin slides up beside Regina, smiling proudly at the photo of his son. "Who should be gracing us with his presence any time now." He eyes flick up the stairs as the sound of shuffling socks begins to scuffle down the steps.

Regina turns, and the photo does this little boy no justice. He is beyond adorable. To the point it actually makes her eyes flush with tears as he hangs onto the banister and taking two steps down the stairs, not quite tall enough to take them one by one just yet. She remembers Henry at this age. How he insisted that every time the door knocked, he be the one to answer it even if the guests on the other side had to wait a little longer until he could stumble his way down their steps with his tiny voice chiming out that he would _be right there!_ He was so full of life, of adventure and joy right until the end. There wasn't a shy bone in his body. Which was probably more thanks to his father than Regina's natural caution towards others. From the moment Henry came into this world, Daniel was there beside him, protecting his boy who demanded he meet every single person he could.

"Papa! Papa catch me!" The little tyke stops at the third step, balancing on his superman socked feet before extending his arms out, ready to fly into the arms of Robin.

"Do you have your cape ready for flying?" Robin grins and squats down.

A red towel swings out behind the boy, as he proudly proclaims a happy, "You bet!"

"Okay, Roland, count it down!"

"Three! Two! One! Take off!" His little legs brace and push with all their tiny might as he flings himself out into Robin's chest as he catches him with ease and spins him around, the makeshift cape fluttering about before it lands on top of Robin's head. Regina chuckles, and Robin shakes his head about animatedly until the towel falls back down to its proper secured spot.

"Ready for breakfast?"

"Yup!"

Robin turns and Regina is caught staring at the pair like a deer in headlights, suddenly feeling a bit too intrusive on their little morning moment of play. She tugs at the hem of her blazer, something she'd been able to finally afford after her last paycheck. Thank god too. She swears the people she works with have begun to notice her rather limited attire. Two pairs of pants and three shirts to be exact. At least she has a skirt and a jacket now, thanks to the Women's Closet down the road from where she is staying, but it's not exactly like she can be picky about cotton or silk right now.

"Roland, I'd like you to meet someone." Robin swings around, son in tow, and nods in her direction with a smile, "This is my friend Regina."

"She's a girl, Papa!"

Regina grins at the young boy who stares up at her with wide astonished eyes. Perhaps Robin doesn't exactly entertain much female company what with a wife and all.

"And a very pretty one at that. Don't you agree, my boy?" Robin's dimples flash on full display as he sends a quick wink her way.

Well, that small compliment has Regina's cheeks flushing hotter than the sun for it's really the first time in years she's actually had someone say something like that about her. She's grown accustom over the past six years towards more grunts, sour stares and comments about how the " _city needs to deal with the people like them."_ As if she didn't already feel less than a person could. It was always the ones who clearly had something to hide that would make such scathing statements. Those who cloaked themselves in uptight personas and designer clothing lest the outside world see what a crumbling insecure mess they were on the inside.

The life she led previous to sleeping on wet concrete rattling floors was filled with _those_ types of people. Ones she found absolute pleasure in stripping away their facade piece by piece in a courtroom until the real truth reared it's ugly head. When the jewels and money aren't there to hide behind, people are all the same, just simply human beings driven by emotion.

"She is pretty, Papa."

"Thank you." Regina smiles, as Robin approaches with his son, "My name is Regina."

"This is my son Roland."

The boy coughs with a scowl into Robin's view before wildly skipping his eyes back and forth to Regina. It has Robin chuckling quietly before righting himself with a stern face as he faces her once more. "My apologies. Regina, this is Sir Captain Roland Locksley of Forest Fliers."

For a moment Regina is caught a bit off guard with the silly title, but a memory fades into her mind about a time when Henry had refused to answer to anything but Spiderboy, and Daniel being anointed as SpiderDaddy. Every Sunday they would wear nothing but matching red and blue pajamas with the black emblazoned spider on their chests, pretending to shoot webs at everything from morning orange juices to TV remotes and mommy snuggles. When Daniel died, Henry insisted that his dad wear his spiderman shirt to heaven so he could protect the angels. And when she'd buried Henry, he too went as a superhero in those pajamas, albeit underneath a suit her mother had picked out that looked absolutely ridiculous on her little boy. They are both up there, together, still playing web wars in her mind between the clouds and warm sun.

"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Captain Roland."

"Do you like pancakes Regina?"

"I love them."

"So does Papa! He eats so many!"

"Hey now! You make me sound like a ravenous pig my boy."

"It's true and you know it!" Roland giggles as Robin tickles his tummy incessantly till his son begs for him to stop through breathless laughter. He sets his son down and grins up at Regina, a hand on his heart, the other high into the sky vowing ""I swear I am nothing but a gentleman at the table."

"Pancake Piggy!" Roland teases as his cape flies into the sky when his little legs take off and run him into the kitchen before Robin can catch him. Regina stifles her laugh with her hand, chuckling at the boldness wrapped up in such a tiny body.

"Well now that my son has effectively blown my cover, shall I get you that coffee?"

"Will there be any left after you pour yourself a cup?" Regina bites down on her lip lest her cheeky remark bust out into a full smile at the way Robin's eyes widen and his dimples deepen at her playful jab. He didn't really know what to expect her to be like, but what he is slowly finding out is much more intriguing than the quiet smiles she'd been passing him through gentle thank you's over the past three years. He likes it. Likes her.

Robin chuckles, leading Regina into the kitchen and her breath stalls as they walk through the archway. Where his home is cozy and quaint, the kitchen is the complete opposite. It's massive. Light grey oak cabinets from floor to ceiling, white granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and without a doubt the largest island she's ever seen. It's beautiful. Clean and crisps with metal detailed knobs and a lining of copper pots hanging from the light fixture above the island. It's her dream kitchen. Back when things weren't quite so dismal and bleak in her world, she used to spend hours in her own kitchen, elbow deep in sauces and dishes Henry created in his mind. That was their thing. Cooking together. Adding the most bizarre ingredients to a concoction to be fed to their guinea pig, and Daniel was nothing but a good sport. Eating with astounding enthusiasm down even with the strangest dishes set in front of him. Not once did he ever let Henry see the way his eyes watered when there was chocolate sauce added to pasta, or how much he hated mashed potatoes smothered in cheese and pickles. His plate was always licked clean and ready for more should his chefs have extra's.

She hasn't set foot in a kitchen in a long long time.

"My wife decorated this room. She always had a better eye for design than I did." Robin muses as he saddles up beside Roland, tying back a tiny apron with a cartoon chili pepper embroidered in sunglasses on the front. "It's stunning." Regina smiles, and takes a seat on the metal stool near the island.

"Regina! You have to put an apron on!" Roland clambers towards her, shoving a haphazardly folded yellow apron at her. "Papa says we can't get our clothes dirty because he doesn't know how to run the washing machine."

From across the kitchen Robin groans and ties on his own apron, a dark green and white checkered pattern that Regina can't help but admire the way the colors bring out the bright blue of his eyes. He really does have nice eyes. Chuckling, Regina kneels to the floor, turns to back to Roland and asks him to tie her up. It's a messy knot, but it will do. Standing she smoothes out the cotton sunny yellow fabric, admiring the tomato and pepper cartoons dancing on the front of it.

When she turns, it's to find Robin staring at her with a strange look in his eyes. A look she knows far too well. A sad memory of a lost love. And it clicks into her mind that she has seen the photo's of his wife, but has yet to meet the woman in person. Robin seems to notice the way Regina's shoulders sigh as she tries to smile at him. She too must know what it's like to have lost someone close to her heart.

"It was my wife's apron." He comments quietly over Roland's head, the boy buried deep into the bottom cupboards in search of a bowl for batter. "She passed away three years ago."

"I'm sorry."

Robin nods, bites down on his lip and sends her a half hearted grin. "Breast Cancer. The bitch." A bubble builds hot in Regina's throat, pressing heavy against her chest. Her life has been consumed by those with that fucking disease. It took her father. Her grandmother. Daniel's brother. And the most painful one it stole from her was her baby boy. Four years old and he was gone. He'd been sick for a two months before she and Daniel had taken Henry into the Children's Hospital after their GP had ordered some blood tests that hadn't come back pleasant.

The moment she walked through those hospital doors, her life changed forever and her son never left. For sixteen months, it became her new home. Sleeping on a pull out couch beside his tiny bed listening to the beeping of machines that kept his heart beating after surgeries and transfusions until one night it was just silent.

A hand squeezes her forearm, and her eyes blink back the tears that burn on her lashes, and just stares at the thumb that swipes up and down the black weaved coat on her arm. It's a heat she can't remember feeling since Daniel. A strange beat that passes between them when she finally musters up the gusto to look him in the eyes, tears be damned and the amount of soft gentle understanding that radiates from the blue is damn near knee buckling. And for all it's worth, he doesn't even say anything, just nods, smiles, and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to damper breakfast." She chokes out, sniffing hard because dammit he is still a stranger, and this isn't exactly the impression she wanted to make on him. Not that she had thought she'd be in his kitchen making breakfast with his son when she knocked on his door twenty minutes ago just to say thank you for the past three years. That was all this was supposed to be. Just a simple thank you and that's all. Just so he would know how much he truly did change her life. How she began to stow away a dollar at a time to slowly buy a new shirt. Or how seeing him walk through the subway station everyday in his crisp clean attire headed to a job made her want to actually get up off the mouldy wet concrete and for the first time in a year look at a newspaper's job listing section.

He did that.

Unbeknownst to him, but it's the reason she is standing here in his kitchen and not sleeping another night with mice and bugs. For whatever reason there is a tug towards this man. A need to want to show him she is more than just some homeless beggar. Perhaps it's that scolding disdainful voice of her mother who would be horrified if she knew about Regina's life the past three years. She just wants for whatever god damn reason for this man, for Robin to see her as a person who has her shit together (which is a lie, because she doesn't. At least not yet, but it's moving in the right direction.)

.

..

…

"I find that pancakes always make the heart feel better."

"And coffee?" She smiles, finally shaking away the last of her tears.

"Most certainly M'lady." He squeezes her forearm once more and lets her breath for a quiet moment alone as she takes up residence back on her stool, watching as Roland pours a heap of chocolate chips into a bowl, though she would venture more ended up in his mouth that is smeared with chocolate than in the actual bowl.

It's all stirring and splatter for a while after that. Regina sipping her coffee as she cracks two eggs for Roland and he plunges the spatula back into the concoction with vigor, smacking away Robin's fingers that attempt to dip into the bowl for a taste. And apparently, while Robin may be the father, Roland is definitely the ruler in the kitchen as he shoo's Robin away with a warning look and a scowling "No thieving Papa! You know the rules!"

It makes Regina's heart double down at the matching frown Robin sends his boy, arms crossed pitifully over his chest as he slumps himself down into the seat beside her, groaning into his mug playfully. He's a good dad. And he's raised quite an astounding young boy.

"Regina, can you help me flip the pancakes?"

"Of course." She chuckles at Robin's hushed out petulant whine that he always flips the pancakes, before moving in front of the stove and laddleling in the first perfect circle of batter. Roland's eyes gape open between her and the pan. "Wow! Papa look!"

Robin's head cranes over his coffee in question.

"Regina makes circles!"

Her eyebrows crease at that. How else are pancakes supposed to look? But her curiosity is quickly rectified with Roland's giggle that "Papa's always look like an elephant squished them."

"You wound me my boy!"

"They still taste good Papa. They just aren't as pretty as Regina's."

"Seems Regina is all the pretty things today isn't she Roland."

The next swaddle of batter nearly spills from her fingers at that and she dare not look back at Robin for the redness in her cheeks would certainly be a dead giveaway as to the butterflies that sudden flutter in her stomach. It's ridiculous. It's just pancakes. She should not be demanding her heart to slow down it's frantic pace at some kind words of a man she barely knows.

Even if he invited her into his kitchen...to cook with his son. Still. It's a one time thing. Her way of saying thank you to him and that will be the end of it. Clearing her throat she drops a few chocolate chips onto the browning cake and rustles the pan three times before tossing the breakfast high into the air, reveling in the squeal it erupts from Roland as it lands far to perfectly back into the pan. Seems she hasn't lost her touch in the kitchen that much.

It's six more flips and a hell of a lot of cheering from Roland and a comment or two from Robin about how _impressive_ she is, before she turns down the burner and sets a plateful down on the island between them. It's not even a moment before she unties her apron and settles down into the stool beside Robin when Roland's mouth is full to the brim with syrup, berries, and pancakes, his father in much of the same state, though a trickle of maple sauce has found it's way down his chin.

Did she mention he was adorable?

Roland. Roland is adorable. Not Robin. That's not what she meant exactly. Maybe just that they are adorable together as a pair. That's it.

"This is amazing Regina. I didn't know you were such an amazing chef." Robin stabs another piece, looking at her with absolute adoration. For her cooking, nothing else. She's a good cook. He's admiring her skills. Even if he continues to let his eyes wander her face and his hand to pass and squeeze her hand once or twice. It's just acknowledgement for breakfast.

"Thank you. It's been awhile since I've been in a proper kitchen."

"Well by all means feel free to stay and help us with dinner tonight."

Her fork drops. Clatters in a high pitched clang onto her plate as she stares at him. And the man looks bewildered by what he just said as he swallows down another slice. He just asked her to stay for dinner. With him and his son. He just said that. How can he not even realize it? Her skin flushes hot as she chokes down a gulp of burning hot coffee in an attempt to quell this sudden shock running through her.

"Yeah Regina stay! We make tacos on fridays! And you can come visit my mama with us!"

Robin sputters at that. Coughing violently as he reaches out to rummage through his son's messy curls. "I think Regina probably has things to do this afternoon." He tickles Roland's tummy before flicking his gaze back up to Regina, "But the offer still stands for dinner."

There are a million and one reasons why she should definitely not be staying for dinner with them. Case and point she has a interview tomorrow she has to get ready for otherwise the motel is going to ask her to leave given that she can't pay for a room again for the upcoming week and she will be back at the shelter she absolutely loathed staying at.

She should be looking into other jobs just incase this one at the law firm doesn't pan out. Not everyone wants to hire a previously homeless person who has absolutely no money to their name, her saving grace being her education. But still that was what, sixteen years ago she graduated? Sure she worked for a solid fourteen before Henry got sick, but still, businesses move on and look for the newest and best crop of employee's. Not some random woman who once worked as a lawyer way back in the day at a small college not many would recognize the name of.

She should just say thank you, and make up some excuse for not coming back and spending more time with this man and his perfect little boy.

She should say no, but her response is the exact opposite.

"Well, I do make a mean chicken enchilada."

And Robin smiles so hard she wonders if his dimples will crack.

 **TBC.**

 **(yes? no? toss into the fiery pits of hell and walk away?)**


	99. Home for the Homeless 3

**Home for the Homeless Part 3**

" **Wanna meet my mom?"**

Breakfast is over far too quick for his liking, and he desperately hopes it not terribly obvious to her that he keeps stalling, drinking a third glass of orange juice even though his stomach feels like it's ripping at his pant seams, just so she will stay a little bit longer and talk to him. There is so much he wants to know about her. What makes her smile. What will make her laugh. How to get her eyes to sparkle at him like they do when she looks at Roland. For a person he barely knows, he feels as though she's always been a part of his life. It's something in the way her hands caress through Roland's curls, the pair of them caught in their own little world amongst stacks of chocolate chip filled pancakes. It's how she blushes whenever Robin pays her a compliment, brushing back a fallen lock of silky hair he'd give his right foot to be able to do the same with.

He shouldn't be feeling this way about her. He doesn't know her, and she doesn't know him. But it's there nonetheless. That bubble in his chest, that continues to expand and burst into a thousand butterflies everytime he does manage to find her eyes. She has beautiful eyes. Dark chocolate like Marian's, but they have this golden undertone to them, something that has him simply gawking everytime he gets the chance. She has definitely caught him staring at her once or twice. Cheeks flushed pink as she bites a smile back and focuses on his son who is eating up every ounce of attention from her he can. It does make Robin wonder about things, if he is raising his son right, being a single parent is no easy feat, and there are more days than not when Robin slides into his bed and sighs at the empty pillow beside him.

It's been three years since Marian died, and he misses her. The ache still very palpable in his heart at the thought of all the memories they should still be having together. The life they had intended to build, plans of camping trips and summer lake vacations at her cabin in Montana with their son. Teaching him how to fish and make s'mores underneath the stars. They'd even started talking about having a second child. Marian always wanted a daughter and Robin couldn't help but fall head over heels at the idea of a little princess having him wrapped around her finger.

But then came the cancer. The multiple surgeries, and then chemotherapy which had stripped his wife of her immune system, wreaked havoc on her heart and eventually she'd succumbed to it all, passing away from heart failure. Cardiotoxicity. That's what the doctors had explained to him. Chemotherapy had weakened her heart and it could no longer pump efficiently enough to keep his wife alive. That was it.

He'd been sleeping on the couch in her hospital room, a barely year old Roland tucked into her arms, and he'd woken up to his son's quiet tears as the morning parted through the curtains and Marian didn't stir. He knew right then and there. She could pick up her baby boy's cries from a mile away, but this time, she didn't wake to cradle him softly, soothe and hush him back to sleep.

He's never spoken of that moment to anyone. Not even Marian's parents when they asked. He lied, and said Roland was sleeping with him. Why, he doesn't exactly know, but it seemed cruel to tarnish the mother inside of her like that. To say she didn't wake when her child cried. Robin couldn't do that. It's a secret he will take to the grave with him.

"Regina, wanna come see my room!?" Roland pipes up, bringing Robin back from his memories.

Regina smiles, a stunning thing, and ruffles Roland's hair. "Maybe some other time, I'm afraid I've kept you and your father long enough."

"Awww please stay!"

Robin's not sure if it's him that says it or Roland, either way he echoes his son's statement with a poorly hidden pout of his own. He doesn't want her to leave, hence the third glass of orange juice, but he also knows that he has to get Roland dressed and ready for kindergarten, and himself to work. But the prospect of putting on a suit and going into endless budget meetings on a day that is sunny and warm just seems beyond ridiculous. He'd rather spend the day with his boy and, perhaps if he is lucky, with Regina. Though he's a fool to think she'd pick chasing a toddler around the park when more than likely she already has plans, or a job to get to.

"You promised echidada's!"

"Enchilada's." She corrects with a chuckle as Roland whines dismally into his pancakes, her eyes flicking over to Robin. "I'll still come back if you and your daddy want me to cook for you."

"But that's so far! You should stay all day." He pouts, lower lip popping out with a pair of puppy dog eyes at her as if he already knows those eyes are her kryptonite. Henry knew exactly how to use them too. Big hazel gaze staring up at her as though if she were to say no to his request the entire world would surely crumbled beneath his tiny feet. She gave in more often than not. Even if Daniel teased her about it later. She would have found a way to move mountains and part the ocean's if it made her boy happy. Especially in those last few months. There was nothing he'd ask for that she didn't find a way to make happen. Cost was no issue. She had money, and Daniel's life insurance was always there. So if Henry asked, Regina delivered.

She supposes that's when things with her mother really took a turn downhill. They never really saw eye to eye when it came to spoiling Henry. Regina was firm that her son be given everything he wanted, he had cancer and was being so damn brave fighting it every day that she didn't understand the harm in giving him what he wanted. A new XBox to play games on between treatments had been expensive, but it made him smile. And yes there were his medical bills that she was still paying, that were still racking up, and she wasn't working, opting to take care of her son like any mother would, and Daniel had passed away, so sure the money was going out far quicker than it was coming in, but still, Henry's happiness came first. However, mother didn't see it that way. Horrid bitch she was.

It was in her high and mighty opinion that Henry could simply play with toys and puzzles the hospital provided. The same ones he'd been playing with since the day they walked into the hospital a year prior. He'd finished the puzzles, they were only ten pieces to begin with and he was so smart, just like his father. They bored him after the eighth time. And there is only so much fun to be had with the same old tonka truck rolling around on the blue cotton blanket of his bed.

Cora called him spoiled. Regina just about wrung her mother's neck at that. He was six years old and battling leukemia. What else was she supposed to do but give him every last damn fucking toy he wanted before the day came when he wasn't around to play with them anymore. It was that argument, outside her son's doorway, as doctors and nurses raised eyebrows and walked past, that Cora Mills turned her back and abandoned her daughter and grandson in their biggest time of need. Claiming that clearly Regina didn't need her help or her money if she could afford to spoil her son with extravagance.

She watched her mother turn on her heel, nose high in the air and walk down the hallway, into the elevator and the doors shut as Cora stared indignantly at her daughter. She hadn't shed a tear the entire time, held herself together until later that night when Henry was fast asleep and couldn't hear her leave and walk down into the cafeteria and silently cry over a cup of cold coffee. A nurse had come over at one point, freshened up said coffee and simply sat beside Regina, not saying a word, just reading a book and holding her hand until Regina's tears ran dry and the sun peaked through the windows.

Mary Margaret. That was the nurse's name. She'd been attending to Henry for the past six months, reading him fairytale after fairytale. Her favorite had been Snow White, Henry's was Peter Pan. Regina knows every line by heart now. Having sat in his room listening quietly as Mary animatedly constructed a tale of heroism, love, and courage. She'd always kiss the top of his head, bald as he may have been, and told him to be brave, to never stop believing in magic, and to have hope. Henry loved her and she him.

His sixth birthday had been between transfusions, and Mary Margaret had thrown him an amazing spiderman themed birthday party, with red and blue cake, a spider shaped pinata, and the entire hospital wing all dressed as superheros. Regina included, decked head to toe in a catwoman ensemble that had Henry giggling at her cat ears. That had been a good day. Her baby was six years old and the doctors were smiling instead of bringing bad news.

When Henry died, it was Mary Margaret who had helped plan his memorial. Picking out yellow sunflowers because they reminded Regina of Henry's smile, handing out superhero masks and putting together the montage of photos she'd taken in conjunction with a bunch of Regina's own.

She owes a lot to her, and hasn't been able to set foot into the hospital to say thank you since. She should go. Maybe once she has a bit more courage like her son did, she'll go back.

"Roland, son. I'm sure Regina has other plans today." Robin looks at her, hoping with all his might that he is wrong and she is going to smile at him once more and agree to spending the day with him and his boy.

"You can come say hi to my momma with me and daddy!"

Robin damn near drops his glass as he sputters and coughs. It's true, it's the 22nd of the month, and every 22nd they take a dozen lilies and walk through the cemetery to Marian's headstone, have a picnic and play the cloud game until Roland decides it is time for ice cream. He just didn't realize it was today. Perhaps it's because his attention today has been on a certain other brunette.

Regina looks a touch caught off guard as well. Eyes wide as she looks over to Robin for some help. Her heart far too soft to say no, but again she really does need to be getting ready for her interview.

"I think maybe that's supposed to be special time for you and your dad to spend with your momma don't you?"

"But she'd like you! I know she would!"

It crosses Regina's mind that from what Robin said of his wife's passing, it happened three years ago, which would make Roland only a year old when she died. He can't remember her can he?

His eyes are all big and brown and damn hopeful, and she is at a loss for words as he stares up at her, all chocolate chip smudged cheeks and messy hair in his superman cape. Damn him and his adorable little self that whimpers out the saddest "Pleaaaaase, Regina." she's ever heard.

Robin for his part looks half deer caught in headlights and half sheepishly hopeful she will say yes. Roland must get his puppy dog eyes from his father. Marian didn't stand a chance with the two of them. And she really shouldn't be entertaining the idea of spending the afternoon and evening with them... she shouldn't, but something about them, about this house and this kitchen makes her feel like she belongs. Strange as it may be.

They don't know one another, he gave her money, she is just supposed to be here to say thank you. It does, however, make her curious why he did it. Three years is a long time to be continuously generous without some ulterior motive is it not? Maybe it's out of pity that he has so much money and she had absolutely none. Perhaps she is simply a charity case for him to feel better about the fact his home is beautiful, that he wears tailored expensive clothes and probably drives some ridiculously luxurious vehicle.

It's what her mother always use to say, there is no selfless good deed. Everyone does something nice for another only to make themselves feel better about it. It's the streak of skepticism that has been beaten into Regina's mind. No one does anything out of the kindness of their heart. That's not human nature.

In truth, Robin is probably just letting her eat his food and drink his coffee because he figures she hasn't had a solid breakfast in years. And she hasn't, but she is nobody's charity case. She doesn't need the pity party. And the thought of walking into a cemetery where her own baby boy sleeps soundly has her stomach turning in knots.

She hasn't visited him. Didn't have the money when he died to even buy him a proper headstone. Every last penny had gone to his medical bills.

It's a wash of shame that floods over her. How horrid of a mother she's been to not even go see her son. Robin clearly takes Roland to visit his mother. A toddler has more bravery than she, a grown woman does.

Robin frowns as he sees her eyes go blank, a far off glassy look that shrouds the chocolate color. She's lost in thought, and by the looks of it, it's not a very pleasant one either. He knows that feeling. The pain of being caught amidst memories that hurt beyond belief. The ones that cut a hot knife through the soul, leaving it forever spliced. There is clearly much more to Regina's past than simple money troubles.

Though clearly she isn't exactly flush with cash at the moment either. Her jacket fits a bit large against the small square of her shoulders, emphasizing the fact that she probably hasn't had a decent meal in months. He feels like a git all of a sudden.

Here he is, in his home that has extra rooms and square footage, a fridge stocked with food, and far too many clothes in both he and his sons closets, and he's never really stopped to appreciate it. How lucky he is to have never been hungry, or forced to sleep on the streets. He's had a rich life, never wanted for something given the fact he's always had the means to purchase.

He should do more for the community. Give back. He damn well knows his company can afford it. Perhaps he could start a charity or a foundation for cancer research. Marian would have liked that. She was always the more charitable out of the two of them.

It had been a year after her passing that he'd walked down the same bloody concrete steps towards the subway that instead of staring down at his phone he'd looked up and saw her. Sitting against the third pillar, knees curled to her chest, and a crumpled up Boston Red Sox hat at her feet. He had stopped dead in his tracks when she lifted her head and brushed back a piece of fallen hair from her pony tail. Aside from Marian, she was without a doubt the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Sure, a bit dirt smudged and messy haired, but still. His heart stopped the second her eyes flicked up to his.

He felt a bit of a bumbling fool as he fished out his wallet, feeling a touch embarrassed when all he had was credit cards and a single dollar bill. Something was better than nothing though right? He'd dropped the bill into her hat, heart thumping erratically when she gave him a small smile behind a quiet thank you.

For the rest of the day he thought of her. And for three years, it became his morning routine to see her. He should have given her more. Should have done something to help her.

He'll look into starting the foundation on Monday.

Before he can stop himself, he's reached over the island and linked her fingers into his own, squeezing gently as her eyes flick up to his own. She looks stunned, and a touch curious at the gesture. Almost as though she doesn't understand why he is trying to comfort her. Silently to himself Robin vows to never let her feel like she doesn't have a friend to seek comfort from again.

"Roland, why don't you go get ready to see your mother?"

"You mean I don't have to go to school?" He beams, standing up on his stool triumphantly. "I can play hooky!"

Regina laughs as Roland's cape flies about when he leaps from the chair and scampers out of the kitchen. It leaves just herself and Robin, still holding hands alone.

"I promise you, he doesn't _play hooky_ often."

She smirks and arches a playful eyebrow at him. "Mhmmm."

"M'lady, you don't believe me?" Robin grins back, jesting utter shock and disbelief at her. "I run a military home here I'll have you know."

Regina chuckles, looks down at their joined hands and feels a flush in her heart bloom. "I think chocolate chip smothered pancakes every Friday would beg to differ."

"Only a standard rule my son obeys, I assure you."

"Ahhh, ever so strict you are."

He feels like he is about to float away and her fingers the only thing tethering him to the floor. "Perhaps I just need something to let loose over."

It's bold.

The way he says it with a cheeky dimpled grin and dazzlingly mischievous eyes. And she thinks he's flirting with her. Which would be ridiculous he'd even be slightly interested. She has no job, no money, lives in a motel, she doesn't really have anything to offer or entice him with. So it's preposterous he is making such a innuendo. And even more ridiculous that she wants to flirt back with him.

Wants to kick herself the moment she smiles and tells him "Or just someone." And the grin he supplies her quip back with is damn near knee buckling. The way he bites down on his tongue that peeks out on his lower lip. And if she'd dare believe it, she'd almost say he's blushing. There is certainly a red tint to his cheeks beneath that stubble she'd rather like to scratch.

But she also feels her own cheeks flushing rouge. He's staring at her like he's seeing color for the first time. Scanning her face with such enamour and awe.

"Is something wrong?" She swallows, lets her free hand tuck her hair behind her ear rather shyly when Robin asks her what makes her think that.

"Well, you're staring like I have something in my teeth."

Robin coughs a laugh and smoothed his thumb over her fingers. "You're teeth are fine."

"My mascara is smudged?"

He shakes his head and leans down to rest his head on his open palm.

"I have hair sticking out of place?"

"Nope."

"Must be a chocolate chip stain on my shirt then." She checks her too quickly, melting inside when his eyes momentarily flicking down as well.

"You're clean."

"Then what?"

Robin smiles, and catches her eyes again, "You're just beautiful. That's all."

Well damn it all to hell. She laughs, blushes furiously and rolls her eyes hard. Seems the millionaire is not only handsome and has an adorable son, but is quite the charmer.

"Thank you."

"You're quite welcome."

Her coffee has long been empty at she glances at the clock, _shit_ it's five past eight. She's made him late. Made herself late for… preparing for her interview.

"I'd hate to upset Roland but I really should be going."

The disappointment on Robin's face is down right adorable as he scowls, only seems to tighten his grip on her hand further in some sort of silly way to get her to stay. "He'll understand but only if I promise him you're coming back for dinner tonight."

Regina's stomach flutters as she beams at Robin, who matches her with a smile of his own. "I suppose I could cook for you again."

"Other way around."

"What?"

"You're a guest, and you've already cooked me and my son breakfast. Seems only fair I repay with being your chef for the evening."

Funny word, repay. She should be the one repaying him. Not the opposite. "How about I make the enchilada's and you can help."

"You doubt my skills in the kitchen?"

"Well if Roland's explanation of your elephant smushed pancakes is anything to go off of…"

"You wound me."

"Poor thing."

Robin nods pitifully, "I fear for my health after such an painful insinuation."

"Are you asking me to play nurse for you?" She bites her lip sinfully, hoping she hasn't crossed a line. And Robin seems more than eager to keep their banter going with a cheeky "I may need round the clock care."

"I'll bet."

He wants to kiss her. Won't, but desperately wishes he could close the distance between them and press his lips against hers. It's impossible that he's only known her truly for a day. Three years in passing yes, but this is their first real interaction and he is already swooning far too hard.

She sees the way his eyes fall to her lips, lingering for a long moment before he blows out a breath through his nose and sits back in his stool. The distance is unpleasant, more so when his fingers ghost away from hers.

"I'll let Roland know you'll be coming for dinner."

"I'd like that."

"As would I."

"Well, I should get going."

"If you must." Robin resigns as Regina too sighs and drops her mug into the sink. He follows when she walks to the door and his heart knocks against his ribs. He knows she is coming back. She said she would. But the thought of her leaving, even if it's just for a few hours suddenly seems like the worst idea.

Her purse is slung over her shoulder as she turns, fidgeting with the hem of her blazer, and she waits for him to say something.

 _Stay. Don't leave._

It's what he wants to tell her. But then again he'd rather not scare her off, lest she run away and he'd not get the chance to see her again. Still he can't help but ask her once more as he steps into her space and links their hands together, "If you change your mind, Roland and I will be at Hillcrest cemetery at noon. There will be plenty of apple juice and possibly an extra peanut butter and jelly sandwich if you're hungry."

She's trying really hard not to smile. She really is. But he is grinning all dimpled and hopeful at her and dammit, it's infectious.

But then again it's the cemetery. Where Henry is. And she isn't exactly sure she's ready to tackle that emotional mountain.

"I know it's not the most happy of places for a picnic." Robin grimaces. "But I'd be thrilled, as would Roland, if you did join us."

She doesn't say anything, her stomach knotting at the thought and not in a good way.

Robin seems to catch onto her discomfort as he squeezes her hands, brings one up to his lips as her eyes follow and presses a soft kiss to her knuckles, "If you're busy, I understand. Dinner is still on the table for tonight regardless."

"I'll think about it."

"About dinner?" He frowns, but she is quick to relieve him of that blow with a small smile. "I'll be here for dinner."

"You promise?"

She nods and opens the door, looking over her shoulder as she walks out of his home, thinking of everything but prepping for her interview.

Perhaps today is the day to be brave like Henry. Maybe she will go see him. If she can find the courage. Oddly enough, as she turns out of the front gate her eyes find Robin's again. He's leaning against the door frame, giving her a parting wave and a lopsided grin.

Maybe _he_ could be her courage.

She just needs to be brave.

TBC.


	100. SpookyOQ - Day 2 - Blood

SppokyOQ - Day 2

"Happy Birthday Princess"

He sits in his chair, thumbing through an old book he's read a thousand times over and over again. Desperate to look between the lines and find something hidden within the words.

His wife mutters to herself in the kitchen, prepping dinner as they wait.

It's always about waiting.

Their entire life since that wretched man dressed in silvers and black waltzed through their door and promised a solution...for a price.

It's what their life has come down to. Paying this price. A deal he made to keep her alive when all hope seemed lost.

If they only knew just what they were getting in return.

He doesn't regret it….not really. He can't. She's alive. The love of his life breathes and her heart beats steady.

But this is not what he thought life would come down to. On the run once more, having villagers terrified of their faces. Children scream, mothers cry, fathers pull out their battle axes in protection. It doesn't help them survive these nights.

Nothing can.

Robin just kisses her hair and watches as she skips through the doorway, whistling that same damn song she does every year. She seems so happy, not a care in the world as she goes out their door and into the world like a shadow.

They tried. But this curse is unbreakable. There is no power of true love's kiss to vanquish the sins that live inside her. And the times they bolted her door, chained her to a chair and stood watch outside her door till the morning came, listening to her scream and screech...it was all for naught. And he hated it.

They'd open the door and it there would be a puddle of blood by the wooden chair. Chains ripped apart, wooden fragments piled, splintered, and stained red. The room would be empty and they knew she had escaped once more.

He just prayed she came home. For all the terror his daughter caused, it was still his baby girl and he'd die if she never walked back through that door.

It's a rule now.

She comes home and they don't speak about it. They don't look with horror at the blood on her clothes, or the things she carries back as token prizes. His wife smiles, takes her up to bathe and Robin sips a glass of whiskey and waits by the door for the torches and pitchforks to cast over the hill.

Like he said, he loves his daughter and her bright blue eyes that stare up at him, hoping that he isn't disappointed in her, wishing that he will simply swing her into a hug and tell her he adores her dimples that match his.

Regina sits down beside him, eyes cast over as she watches the door in waiting. He links their fingers together. Squeezes once and sighs as his eyes flick to the knob as well.

They sit in silence for what seems like hours until Regina finally gives in. Sniffing hard behind a curtain of hair.

"What are we going to do?"

"What we always do. We are going to love her."

"I do love her. You know that." She exhales heavy hearted, "But Robin, how much longer, how many more months go by with us fleeing?"

He sighs. Swallows a gulp of fire tinted whiskey. He knows her torment. They have to figure it out. There aren't many more villages they can run to before it catches up with them.

The golden knob turns and Regina's spine straightens as they both sit up. Slowly the oak creaks and swings open. And there she is.

"Momma! Daddy!"

Her blonde curls fly as she races towards them, crashing her body into their awaiting arms with a beaming smile.

Her teeth are stained. Robin says nothing when she looks up at her parents and fishes something between her teeth with her tongue. There is a crimson drip coasting down her chin that Regina wipes away quickly before cupping her daughter's cheeks.

They don't mention that her dress is dirty and torn. Mud soaked and ruby red splotches around the bodice. They will just change her into clean clothes and eat some birthday cake and that will be the end of another year.

"Hello, my love." Robin swallows the nausea boiling in his gut as his baby girl runs a fist through her tattered hair.

She's holding something.

"Did you have a good birthday?"

"Yes. Can we have cake now?"

Regina nods, pressing a kiss to her dirty forehead and magics the cake she's been working all day over onto the table. Raven squeals in delight and her little fist hits the table.

Six fingers come rolling out, torn at the knuckles, half mangled and chewed with crooked bones sticking out of their joints. Her blue eyes grow dark as she methodically places each appendage into the chocolate cake.

"Momma, light them!"

Regina bites her lip and flicks her finger and the smell of burning flesh simmers around them. It makes his stomach roll, though he fights the grimace he wishes to make as the skin uncoils from the meat, blood drips out from veins and bone turn to ash on top of frosted icing.

The cake is cut. A slice with a finger candle each, and Robin grips his fork in a sweaty palm.

"Happy sixth birthday, my girl." He mouths the forkful and tastes nothing but death on his tongue. Regina licks the frosting from her lips, feigning delight as she chokes it down and smiles at their daughter.

Six fingers. Which means six people from the nearby villages that decorate their baby's cake. Robin just hopes it's only a hand they lost.

"Baby, are you not hungry?"

Raven sighs and pushes her plate away, "I already ate."

Regina stills.

"Six is a lot."

Robin cringes and glances up at Regina who has gone white as a ghost. And to think next year is seven. But they love their daughter. This was the deal.

A life returned for the debt of many more. He just didn't think his little girl would be the one taking them.

Fin.


	101. SpookyOQ - Day 3 - Where You Belong

It's bloody freezing out here metal smacks into dirt over and over again. The wool of her coat not doing a whole lot to stave off the chill that creeps up her spine even as she wipes a bead of sweat off her forehead with a leather glove.

Something in the distance cracks and her eyes flick frantically to the woods, scanning with a frown into the darkness. But it's silent, save for her breath. Must have just been an animal or something. As long as no one sees her, it's okay. They wouldn't understand anyway and she'd surely be carted off into the psychiatric ward if they knew.

Gripping around the wooden shaft of the shovel she starts again and the hole grows with every pile of dirt she scoops out. It's a damn good thing she opted not to wear heels and went for a more practical knee high soft leather boot instead. Makes it easier to sink down into the four foot hole and brace against the wet mud beneath her feet.

She slams the shovel back down and it smacks hard, jarring her shoulder as she winces as a lick of sharp pain ricochets up her arm. She taps the shovel again, and it hits something solid again. It's done. Sinking down to her knees, she scrapes away the dirt with her hands, brushing it away as the oak top comes into view. It takes her a few more minutes before the gold handles begin to peek into view. She's so close.

Peering back over the horizon, she takes one last look to make sure no one is watching before she curls her fingers around the latches and pries open the casket. Dirt flies as the top flops open, and she inhales the exact same moment, breathing it in and coughing furiously as the dust settles around her.

And there he is.

Tears flush her eyes as she sits down on her knees and strokes her glove over his stubbled cheek. He is so handsome. Even in death. Though his cheeks lack their previous pink tint, lips dry rather than soft, he's still beautiful. With dark blonde hair brushed away from his face, forest green vest tucked around the expanse of his chest. His cloak pillowed around him like a blanket. They buried him in his enchanted forest clothes. On the request of Little John and Friar Tuck. Regina had been the one to change him for the service. And the clothes she'd bought him in Storybrooke are now currently tucked away in her closet beside his bow quiver and arrows.

She wears his scarf still. The maroon soft cotton one she'd thieved away from him playfully after their office date. He'd kissed her, whispered a cheeky, "You little thief," and wrapped it around her once more. He could steal it back later she told him with a smile. But he never did. The day he died, she had been wearing it under her long black trench coat, tucking it around her neck like an embrace, and wishing as she laid a single red rose on his grave that it was his arms around her instead.

Leaning down, her lips press to his, and if possible, he still smells like forest. He's only been gone two days after all. And the pain of not having him with her had begun to take its toll. She needs to see him. Needs to feel him even if his heart doesn't beat. Which is why she is here. Underneath the bright light of the moon, sitting in his grave, and taking him back where he belongs.

Home with her.

Or to her vault at least.

She smiles sadly, wipes a tear away at the memory of when his eyes would crack open, revealing that sky sparkling blue as he greeted her with a grin. She misses him. Fiercely so. Looking over his face once more, and lets her magic swirl them away in a cloud of plum purple, leaving behind a perfectly manicured pile of dirt, evenly spread out beneath his headstone, looking untouched to anyone who wishes to pay a visit. They won't even know he is no longer underneath the dirt, but is now sleeping in eternal peace on her bed in her vault.

It's better this way. He looks comfier if that's even possible. Head laying softly on a red silk pillow, blanket tucked up around his waist to keep him warm, which is ridiculous but she can't help it. Her hand waves over his form as they settle in, ensuring he stays exactly how he looks right now.

Regina sighs a small smile and slips in beside him, a palm over his chest where his heart beat should be, a leg between his rigid thighs, and her nose tucked under his chin. And for the first time in two days, she lets her eyes close unafraid of waking to a blinding crystal blue lightning bolt that took him away in the first place.

No one would understand, but she just sleeps better with him beside her. And if this, curling into his stiff cold body will help stitch back the gaping wound in her heart, well fuck everyone else, she loves him, and he belongs here, with her.

Fin.


	102. SpookyOQ - Day 4 - Whispers

**Spooky OQ - Day 4 - Haunted House**

 **"Whispers"**

He loves fall. Is completely enamoured with the myriad of reds, oranges and yellows in the trees, a water painting in the flesh. Adores the way the air is crisp and cool though the sun wraps him up in a warm hug. It's beautiful and by far his favorite season. Fortunately for him, it is also Regina's and they decided it's about time they take a much needed vacation together as a family.

It's nothing extravagant or globe trotting. Just a six hour drive to the coast of Maine, and he already feels like freedom is touching him. His breath is easier to take, stress melting away with every mile they drive further away from their quaint little town. He loves Storybrooke, he does. But there is just something wonderful about leaving it behind for a week and taking his wife, kids and their dog away.

A soft hand ghosts over his own, fingers lacing into fingers with a gentle squeeze and his eyes flick from the road to find Regina in a blissful smile as she stares out her window. The look of pure contentment on her face is stunning. She is stunning. All tucked up in a cream knit sweater, dark denim blue jeans and his burgundy scarf wrapped around her neck. He fiddles with the diamond ring on her left hand, grinning as she too smiles at the touch and sips on her caramel latte.

In the back, Roland is quiet as a mouse, which is odd for their son, but he is far to intrigued watching the trees fly past the window. It's his first adventure outside of Storybrooke too, and Robin can't hide the excitement that bubbles in his chest at the thought of late night campfires, fishing in the stream nearby and spending some real quality time with his boys. Henry hasn't been able to stop talking about all the things he wants to do on this vacation. Hiking trails, going swimming in the lake, and maybe if Regina finally relents, Robin can teach him how to shoot a bow.

It's going to be a wonderful vacation.

He found the place too. Has spent a month reading up on the bed and breakfast turned vacation home for rent. It's perfect. And it's coming into view as he makes the final turn between the trees and hits a dirt driveway. Beside him Regina gasps lightly. Her eyes wide and mouth parting in awe at the two story mansion erupts from the grass. White painted wood siding, dark blue window trimmings, a fantastic front porch with a swing they can have coffee on in the morning. A large turret juts out from the side, windows the entire way around, and if their house at home wasn't so perfect, he'd certainly entertain the idea of moving in here.

Henry and Roland are out of the car first, backpacks swinging as they run towards the front door without a second thought to helping their parents bring anything inside. A notion that has Regina sighing as Robin kisses the back of her hand gently with a grin.

"Girls actually stay and help."

Robin laughs, leans over the middle console to catch her lips, humming at the hint of caramel and coffee on her tongue.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see"

"Six months to go."

He closes his door, grabs their suitcases as Regina does pillows and blankets and they head inside hand in hand. It's a stunning staircase that greets them, dark hardwood and white spindled banister curling up to the second floor. Regina muses how impressive this place is as she walks over to the foyer, depositing the mountain of blankets onto a singular arm chair. It's all archways and decorative wooden features along the walls. A fireplace in the corner underneath a rather massive black mantle. There is a wood pile stashed inside, a stack laying crisscrossed on the floor. He should make a mental note to thank the owners for providing them with it. Less work for him do it.

His hand runs along the stone work of the mantle, and a flicker of heat hits his thighs. There are a few burning embers simmering at the bottom. Odd. Seems rather unsafe to leave a fire unattended like that. The little hairs on the back of his neck stand up as a chill runs up his spine.

" _Touch it."_

A small child like voice whispers in his ear, and Robin swirls around wide eyed.

But no one is there.

He can hear Regina in the kitchen putting away their groceries, and the boys have yet to be found, more than likely already outside playing. He's alone. Frowning, he runs a hand over his face. Exhaustion. He's probably just tired. It's been a long drive already. And works been crazy, plus the new baby on the way. It's just his mind going puddlely.

"Babe, can you come in here?"

He walks into the kitchen to find Regina with a hand on her tiny baby bump, scowling at the cupboards. Which in all honesty for as grand as this house is, the kitchen is rather lack lustre. There is a fridge on the side, a stove that looks as though it was made a hundred years ago, and about four cabinets. Two of which looks as though they are about to fall off of the wall if they so much as put a bundle of bananas on it.

"Well this isn't what the pictures showed." He grimaces, a bit flustered his magical vacation has a minor bump thrown into it. But Robin is nothing but optimistic. There is enough counter space. And the fridge is at least a decent size. They will just have to make due. He wraps his arms around Regina, nuzzling into her hair, "Why don't you rest, and I'll take care of the kitchen."

"If you insist." She settles down into a chair, and then she frowns.

There is only two chairs at the massive oak dining table. Who would only have two chairs? There is cutlery and plates set out already. All old english silver forks and spoons and two strangely large steak knifes. They look more like butcher's tools than actual utensils. She picks one up, and scratches a dark rusted mark on it.

They need to go get some new ones from the store, she is not eating with rusted knives. God knows who the last person using these was...or what exactly they were eating that has crimson rust built along its handle and blade.

She sets the knife aside and glances back into the kitchen.

Robin inhales sharply as he open the fridge and the smell hits Regina in the face.

It's rancid. Like old rotting meat.

It makes her gag into the sleeve of her sweater. Eyes watering from the stinging pungent aroma.

"Holy Christ. What is that?" She coughs and reaches for a window to open.

Robin swallows thickly, a hand in front of his mouth as protection though he still barely manages not to let his lunch make a second appearance. "It appears the last guests here didn't clean up."

"Clearly." Regina scowls, "What's in the fridge?"

It's tupperware containers.

Eight of them filled to the brim with dark muddy colored stew or something similar. He's adventurous, but not so adventurous to open the tubs of whatever the hell swirls and swills within them. It's off putting enough with just the smell of rot. But as he inspects them a bit closer, he see's thin white stickers with marked dates on them. Three are from last week. Two from the week before. The others that smell absolutely horrendous he doesn't feel quite brave enough to figure out when they expired.

Tipping one up to the kitchen light, his heart pumps hard as a mix of crimson and brown liquid ghosts up and down the plastic sides, something thick and heavy bumping into the edges. He's killed enough game to know what meat looks like.

That same chill runs up his spine.

" _Mama likes them cold. Says they taste better that way."_

Robin drops the container in his hand as he spins around only to find Regina staring stunned at him. He heard it this time. There is no doubt about it. There was someone else here. But surely Regina would have seen them. That little meek voice was right behind him, breathing on him, sending icicles into his skin with each whispered word.

"Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Regina flicks her wrist, and the mess is cleared up in a plume of plum smoke as she walks over to him, cocking a questioning eyebrow his way. He looks around the kitchen, wraps his arms around Regina's waist and rests his head on the crown of hers. "Jesus, your heart is racing. What's wrong?"

He swallows, peers around the corners as best as he can. But nothing in there. The call of his name and the feeling of her palm pressing warm against his cheek has him dropping his eyes away from the black mantle fireplace in the other room and down to Regina's confused gaze. Worrying her won't do any good. He's not even sure what is going on. Best to not dwell on it right, after all there is no such thing as haunted houses.

"Must have been the smell. I'm sorry love." He tries to smile, though he can tell Regina isn't buying it. The caramel in her eyes glows a touch brighter beneath the dark chocolate hue. They always do when she is thinking about something. But this is a vacation for her mind to rest, and he is determined to make that happen. Bussing her lips quickly, he licks the moan from her mouth, and his breath far shakier when she smiles up at him, rolling her eyes because she knows he kissed her to stave off her questions. But she will take it. She likes kissing him and whatever it was that had him go white as a ghost has passed.

Henry and Roland are outside, he can hear them now with the windows open and Regina scoots out of his arms, grabs her coffee and heads to the back porch, the thick wood and mesh door clanging shut as she goes.

It leaves Robin alone in the mansion. And he can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. He doesn't believe in ghosts, demons and the boogeyman, but he won't deny that gut feeling when someone or something is off, when the hairs on the back of his neck stand tall, palms get clammy and sweat riddled, and his heart beats thunderous and erratically against his chest.

He feels like he is being hunted.

So he becomes the hunter instead. Slowly walking through the kitchen, eyeing up the cutlery on the dining table, the large rusty knives have his brow creasing. He goes to reach for one, but something in the living room jingles. He moves, peering around the corner, where the single arm chair and fireplace stand. A dark curtain floats gently in the window. He doesn't remember opening it. Perhaps it was Regina? The chandelier above him sparkles in the sun, crystals clinking lightly together. That must have been the noise he heard. There is a closet door recessed behind the chair. Almost hidden by the overstuffed floral patterned high backing of the chair. It's odd having the furniture, scarce as it may be to be tucked up against the wall, inaccessible unless he moves it.

It's heavy. Scratches along to floorboards as he grunts and shifts it over. There is a lock on it. A singular gold chain above the dented door knob. His hand runs along the frame, dust lines forming between the cracks. He brushes it off on his pants and reaches for the knob, heart pounding as he tries to breath slowly to calm his nerves.

It's creaks as he turns it slowly.

"Daddy! Come outside and play!"

He damn near jumps out of his skin at the screech from his youngest son. There is nothing inside the closet, that's now open. Just a single light bulb and a chain hanging from the roof. No shelves, just a single blanket crumpled in the corner. Torn and moth eaten around the edges.

Shaking his head, he shuts the door, and blows out a heavy breath. He's just being paranoid. Perhaps some fresh air and sunshine will do him good. He leaves the living room, forgetting to shut the closet door on his way and heads outside.

.

..

…

..

.

It's a gorgeous afternoon. Regina sitting on a blanket underneath a tall oak. Henry and Roland swimming in the lake with Robin for hours on end. It's perfect. Just what they all needed. Time away from offices, computers and phone calls. Just family and no one else to interrupt them. By the time Robin comes walking up the beach, exhausted to the bones, the sun is beginning to set over the hilltops.

He falls onto the blanket beside his wife, grinning from ear to ear as she lays a hand on his chest and tips her head down to smile at him. She's damn beautiful. With the sun haloing around her hair, pink tinted cheeks from the slight coolness of the air. Just so damn pretty.

"Having fun?"

He nods, adjusts himself so his head can rest in her lap, dismissing her slight huff at the wet patch he'll surely leave on her pants from his river soaked hair. Though her irritation fades quickly as he turns to press a soft kiss to the tiny baby bump hidden underneath her wool sweater. Her fingers card through his hair, eyes focused on their boys in the distance, and she sighs back against the tree trunk. "We should come here every year."

"It is quite peaceful." Robin agrees as he laces her free hand on his chest into his hand. "The boys love it." Regina hums and tips her head down to him, far enough away that he has to reach up to kiss her lips gently.

"What would you say to a campfire tonight?"

"Sounds perfect."

He sits up, draping an arm around her shoulders, chest bared to the setting sun, something Regina is clearly enjoying as she snuggles up to his side, fingers gently toying with the spattering of blonde hair there. It really is a beautiful afternoon he muses, lets his eyes wander away from the boys and across the hills and treescape.

Someone is watching them.

From behind the trees to the right.

They can't be older than a Roland, eight at the most, a girl, it's definitely a girl. She's staring at Robin half hidden behind an oak tree. He feels frozen for a second, looking right back at her, she is paler than the moon, with jet black hair that hangs past her shoulders in white dress with frilled sleeves that ends just above her skinny ankles.

"Regina." He whispers as calmly as he can though his heart beats a thousand paces a minute. She hums against his chest, leaning lazily up to raise an eyebrow silently at him. "Do you see a person over there?"

He feels her spine stiffen. A narrowing in her eyes as she leans around his torso and scans the forest's edge. If she sees the girl, he's not going crazy.

"No." She glances up at him, "I don't see anyone." Robin's eyes flare open, head whipping around to where he just saw the strange girl with long dark hair.

"There was a girl there." He swallows thickly, mouth gone dry when Regina's asks him "Where?". She was there. Staring at him. At all of them. His eyes dart around the darkness of the tree's edge, "She was standing by that tree."

"Robin, babe nobody is there."

He can hear the hint of fear in her voice. Her eyes flicking between him and the forest's edge anxiously as he scowls and shakes his head. "Maybe it was a trick of the mind." Her hands cup his cheeks, thumbing over the stubble, "Are you okay?". He looks at her, into those beautiful brown eyes, finding some semblance of calm in them, enough that it has him nodding though his stomach rolls and knots nervously.

Regina is right. There is no one there.

At least not that he can see anymore.

"Perhaps you've had too much sun?" She shrugs. "Should we head inside to make dinner?"

He nods, gratefully leans into her lips that press to his forehead, one of his hands secured around her back, the other on her baby bump. He knows this feeling. The need to protect. But it's hard to fight off something he isn't even sure is there. Maybe he does need to eat.

.

..

…

..

.

His thoughts linger to the little girl as he watches his boys help Regina whip up some tacos on Roland's request. Tomatoes cut with one of Robin's fishing knives instead of the rather large butcher looking ones on the table, tortillas currently being heated and cheese melted over top of them by Henry and Regina.

He just can't seem to shake the feeling that something is off.

" _Careful, the stove is hot."_

"OW! Shit!" Regina cries out and the pan bursts into a momentary flame. "Jesus Christ." She shakes her hand violently as she spins on the spot. "God Dammit!" Henry turns the tap on, and Regina throws her palm underneath it, hissing at the contact.

"Mom you okay?"

"Yeah, I just burnt myself." She grimaces, flexes her hand as she wraps it up in a hand towel. "The pan must have been too hot and the oil caught fire for a second." She scowls at the torched chicken in the pan "Dammit, it's burnt."

"We have more, don't worry." Henry opens the fridge. "Holy moses, that stinks!" He quickly slams it shut with a new package of meat in tow. "That thing reeks!"

"You should have smelt it before Robin threw out the tupperware stuff inside!" She grins through a wince. "We don't know what is was, but it certainly was rotten hey Robin?"

"Robin?"

He's frozen to his chair, staring at the smoke that simmers in the pan.

"Dad?"

He heard that voice again. It's a girl. A little girl's voice. It knew the stove was going to catch fire.

"Hello?" Roland climbs into his lap, waving a tiny hand in front of Robin's stoned face. "Earth to daddy." Henry walks up beside his brother, cocks an eyebrow and claps loudly three times. "Yo! Dad! You in there?"

Robin jumps, eyes wide and he pants out a breath. "Sorry. Jesus Regina, are you okay?" He flies to her side, wrapping his hands around her clothed burnt one. Carefully he peels the towel open, and grimaces at the same time Regina hisses in pain. It's pretty bad. Nothing to take her to the hospital over, but still, he can see the raw red skin underneath the bubbling blisters already.

"Henry, can you grab my first aide kit from my bag?"

He turns back to Regina who is looking at him strangely, and he feel shame lick through his gut. "Did you hear something before the pan exploded?". She frowns and shakes her head. "It was a whisper. Like a little girl."

"Robin, you're kinda scaring me."

"I'm sorry. But I've heard her three times now, and earlier in the park, I swear I saw her."

"A little girl is talking to you?"

He shrugs, and presses a kiss to her wounded hand. "I know it sounds strange."

"It sounds crazy."

"I'm sorry." His eyes close as he leans to rest his forehead against her own. "Something in this house has the hairs on the back of my neck standing tall. I feel like we are being watched."

"By a little girl?"

He doesn't know how else to explain it. But he's heard her, he swears it to Regina as she lets a long breath go. "Do you think we are safe?"

For a long moment Robin doesn't say anything, just scans her face searching for an answer hidden within. He can protect his family. He knows that. But against something he can't see. That's an entirely new villain to take on. But he will be damned if he lets a single thing happen to them. And there is entirely a possibility that he is just imaging the entire thing.

"Should we go home?"

"I...I don't know. I don't want to frighten the boys, nor do I want to cut the vacation short."

"But?"

"I still can't shake this feeling."

Regina sighs, cups his cheek and smiles gently at him. Ever the worrying hero her husband. "How about we sleep on it, and if tomorrow you still aren't feeling right, we pack up and go somewhere else?"

"You'd be okay with that?"

"Of course. I trust you. I trust your instincts."

She leans up on her tip toes, presses a kiss softly to his lips, hoping to ease the deep frowning creases in his forehead. And it works. Sort of. He seems to breathe a touch easier at the affection. "Come on, you could use a whiskey."

.

..

…

..

.

They walk into the living room, finding Henry and Roland playing a board game on the floor. Regina settles into the single arm chair, and Robin sits at her feet. It doesn't hit him at first, but when his eyes flick over to the fireplace, he notices that the chair he moved, the one Regina is sitting on has been pushed back into place. In front of the closet door. But he didn't move it. It's to heavy for anyone else to have shoved it back either. The closet door hidden behind it once more.

He tries not to think on it. Perhaps the boys pushed it together. But none the less his heart quickens. And he listens for the little whispering voice to brush against his ear.

"You alright?"

"What?"

"You look concerned about something."

"It's nothing." He squeezes Regina's hand. It has to be nothing. There is no one in this house but them. There can't be. Ghosts are real. Demons aren't real. And Haunted Houses certainly are not real. Shaking his head he downs the rest of his whiskey, and lets Regina's fingernails scratch dully against his head and lull him into a sleepy state.

He feels his eyes closing, the heaviness of his brain as he sags against her knees, listening to Roland and Henry giggle quietly in front of him. It's consuming now. While he wants to stay awake and play games and roast marshmallows over a fire, his body is simply drained.

It's the second before unconsciousness takes him that he hears it, too far gone to wake himself at the sound, it's just a light hushed mumble into his ear, like a sweet lullaby.

" _Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."_

.

..

…

..

.

" _Mama always wanted another baby."_

It climbs onto the bed spread, eyes wildly bloodshot, silently clawing at the blankets with broken nails, slowly pulling them off of a sound asleep Regina.

" _She wants a girl."_

A fleshy dead hand ghosts along Regina's baby bump, eyes turning black and hollow as she grins with spiked teeth and blackened gums. " _A pretty one."_ She leans over Regina, nose to her neck and inhales heavily with a shudder.

" _You smell delicious."_ Her tongue darts out against Regina's pulse, licking a line along the underside of her jaw and she swallows the taste of warm beating blood underneath thickly. A mangled palm brushes back a lock of brown hair, and she tips her head to the side, admiring sinisterly as she tugs gently, a strand of chocolate looped around her broken finger. She holds it up to her own soggy matted hair, admiring it's color, before sucking it off and swallowing with a lick of her lips, " _The ladies always do."_

Robin groans, and flips to his side, stretching outward for Regina, sighing as he finds her hand and giving it a half sleep riddled squeeze. The little girl watches from above her perched position. Eyeing up their conjoined hands repugnantly with a cringe and sneer.

" _Men taste like dirt."_ She snickers, trailing her fingernail over Regina's forearm, down to where Robin's hand is before going back up. " _Mama feeds them to the pigs if they taste bad."_ She hushes a high pitched giggle and turns back to Regina, stroking along her cheek and across her lips. A drip of dirt grey saliva hits Regina's throat. It trickles slowly down to her collarbone, weaving a stained trail against porcelain skin. It looks like spider webs the more it slips and slides, thick and riddled with muscoused sludge. A pretty little design.

In her sleep Regina grimaces and slides further down into the pillow, running a hand over her stomach, just beneath the frill of the little girls muddy dress.

" _Careful now. We wouldn't want you to get dirty."_ She tuts, scooting back on Regina's thighs, " _Mama would be mad."_

Her hand moves to the gauze on Regina's open palm, prying it open with a slicing nail, exposing the red blistered flesh below. She scowls with a shake of her head, daggered teeth digging into the pale bloodless cracked lower lip. " _We can't eat this piece. The meats gone all burnt and fried."_ Her tongue darts out, sampling the wound, " _Tastes icky."_

She scoffs disdainfully at the mark. Ugly thing. Cut of the hand with Mama's butcher knife. That would do the trick. Leave the rest of her fresh and juicy for her teeth to rip into. Licking her lips, she drags her scum nails over Regina's throat lightly, leaving a trail of red marks behind, " _The rest of you isn't spoiled though is it?."_ She claws over her collarbone, digging harder into her skin, smiling at the way the woman beneath her winces unconsciously.

"Robin. Stop."

She freezes, eyeing up the man beside her with a sneer. " _He can't hear you. Dead asleep."_ Her hand closes around Regina's neck. " _And dead forever soon."_ Her fingers squeeze against Regina's windpipe, and when brown eyes fly open, the little girls screeches delightfully.

.

..

…

..

.

He wakes with a jolt. Heart racing, pooled in sweat and bloody panting so hard his lung begin to seize. The sheets tangled around his torso and feet, binding his legs together tight. It's suffocating.

"Robin?"

He freezes. She is there. Beside him. Breathing and alive and unharmed. Looking at him as though he's gone absolutely mad, but still her hand reaches out to smooth over his chest, feeling the frantic pace of his heart beat.

"Are you alright?" He scrambles to his side, cupping her cheeks rather hard, but he need to feel her. Make sure she is breathing.

"I'm fine." She leans into his palm, running a free hand to scratch through his stubble. "What's wrong?" His eyes tear away from hers. They are in their room. In their bed. Home, in Storybrooke.

It was a dream. A nightmare. But not real. She is safe. His family is safe.

Sinking back down into the bed with a heavy exhale, he focusing on the feeling of her hand on his chest, the way her fingers roam through the light blonde coarse hair, drumming to the beat of his heart. "Tell me."

"Just a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He shakes his head and sighs. The picture of that dead girl crushing Regina from above, screeching with black wild eyes, blood running from her mouth as blackened fingernails drove deep into Regina's throat, it's an image that will haunt him forever.

It was just a dream, but it doesn't make him any less terrified of it.

"I think we should figure out a different spot for the vacation."

"But you found such a gorgeous house on the lake."

"I just, I think we should go somewhere else."

Regina cocks an eyebrow at him, humming through pursed lips as she saddles between his legs, tossing one of her own between his and laying her head heavy into the nook of his neck. "Okay, but you're telling the boys." Her nose brushes against his jawline, breath warm and soothing as sleep begins to claim her once more. "Go back to sleep. It was only a dream."

She's right.

It was only a dream.

His eyes drift closed, and he tugs Regina a touch tighter into him beneath the blankets. It's quiet, peaceful even at this hour. The sun barely peeking through their blinds and he is grateful for the chance to doze off for a few more hours.

And sleep claims him before the whisper can hit his ears.

" _Good night sleepy heads."_

Fin.


	103. SpookyOQ - Day 5 - Murder

**Spooky OQ Day 5 - Murder**

"911 what's your emergency?"

"Someone is in my house."

"Okay. What's your name?"

"Roland."

"Do you know your last name Roland?"

"Locksley."

.

..

...

.

"Okay Roland. Now can you tell me where you are?"

"In my room."

'Good. Are you hiding somewhere?"

"Under the bed."

"Okay, Roland. Do you know your address?"

"It's a big white house."

"Do you know the street name?"

"No."

"That's okay. Are you parents with you?"

"No."

"Where are they?"

.

..

.

"With the bad men. One hit daddy on the head. He didn't get up."

"And your mommy?"

"She was crying lots. She told me to run and hide."

"That was very smart of her."

"They took her."

"It's going to be okay Roland."

"What if they are hurting her?"

"Honey, I need you to listen to me, the police are coming. They are going to be there really soon okay. Just stay really quiet."

"I'm scared."

"I know sweetheart. But you need to be brave and stay on the phone with me. Can you do that?."

"Okay."

.

..

"I hear someone."

"Stay quiet, Roland."

.

..

"They are outside my door."

"Just stay under your bed okay. It's going to be okay."

"Promise?"

"Stay where you are okay. Don't move."

"The door is opening."

.

..

.

..

.

"He's in my room."

"Shhhhhhh, cover your mouth and try not to breath too heavy."

"Please help me. I'm scared."

"Hush Roland. Just be still and stay quiet. The police are almost there."

.

..

.

"He's gonna hurt me."

.

..

.

"No he's not, Roland. Just stay on the phone."

"Please help me."

"I am. Just focus on my voice okay."

.

..

…

"Roland?"

"Roland, are you there?"

"Roland!"

….

...

..

.

The End.


	104. Home for the Homeless 4

**Home for the Homeless 4**

 **"The Cemetery"**

* * *

Leaving Robin's was...disheartening to say the least. But she had to get going, not that she has anywhere to really get to, but still, it's not like they could have stayed all day playing house right? Granted, he's not going to work, nor Roland to school, but it's really not her place to invite herself to linger with them when she has nothing better to do.

Robin invited her though. He did. Almost bashfully in that punch you in the gut for being so damn adorable sort of way. She wonders momentarily as her heels click along the concrete what it would have felt like if she said yes. A fantasy, but still, she can almost picture the smile he'd have given her, nearly can feel the butterflies dancing in her stomach.

Which is crazy. They don't know one another. This is just a strange acquaintance between them and nothing more. Not even if he was flirting rather openly with her. And not even if she reciprocated the playful sparring match and bitten back smiles. She didn't knock on his front door in hope of finding a boyfriend. Which also sounds crazy. Robin doesn't fit the "boyfriend" title. He is more of a … ridiculously handsome, smolderingly sexy, doting daddy marrying type.

Distance. They need distance. Otherwise she is going to find herself in a heap load of stubble and blue eyes, and she can't focus on that right now. Nor on the way it might feel to kiss him. That is completely out of the question. She has no job. No money. No where to live. Locking lips with Mr. Locksley is certainly not a priority, even if it's feeling like a necessity.

It's all she can really think about as she walks, and walks, and walks, absentmindedly in no particular direction. It should be back towards the Motel, but she's heading west, the complete opposite way. And she doesn't honestly even recognize where her mind has taken her until it's smack in front of her eyes.

A willow tree with a single solitary swing swaying back and forth in the wind. For a moment she can almost hear his tiny giggle and the roaring laughter the chased behind. Little legs that scrambled in the grass faster than lightning in his own mind, whilst a lumbering monster wobbled in the near distance. How many hours did they spend playing on the front lawn she will never know. It seemed endless. From dawn till dusk. Cowboys and Indians, Cops and Robbers. Hero and Villain over and over again until she'd call from the porch, and her two boys would come galloping up for lunch.

It's a wispy white memory that springs before her eyes as she stares at the swing. Brown hair flying in the wind, yellow rubber boots and an army shirt clung tight to a chubby body that squealed for his daddy to catch him. It always gave her a half heart attack every time she saw his little hands let go of the rope, the moment her baby boy launched himself into the air, suspended in time for a fraction of a second before landing softly into a pair of strong arms that always caught him.

The ghost of her family spins around the lawn, her eyes follow with every step they take towards their house. A place she hasn't seen in years. One she honestly never thought she would ever look upon again. Too many memories, both beautiful and devastating.

Squaring her shoulders, she exhales heavy, sniffing against the lump that forms in her throat and turns towards the front door.

It looks the exact same.

Navy blue panels, white trim, birch porch swing on the front, the massive windows open to the morning sun. It's a gorgeous house. It always was. Her dream home. The day they signed for it and took the keys was the day her life truly started. Just her and Daniel. Barely in their twenties with an entire life ahead of them, in _their_ home. He'd demanded to carry her over the threshold, even as she rolled her eyes at him and commented how corny he was, he scooped her up, swung the door open wide and strided into the foyer with absolute pride in his green eyes.

They had no furniture yet. Nothing but a two mismatched cups Regina had dug out from a storage box, a blanket from Daniel's truck and a bottle of wine his parents had given as a housewarming present. That was it, and it was all she needed. A photo of that night used to sit on her bedside stand. Daniel's arms wrapped around her, his nose nuzzled into her cheek and she smiled up at the camera in her hand and snapped a quick picture, capturing their first night in their new home forever.

It would be at her parent's house now she supposes. Along with everything else she had boxed up and tucked away when the house was put on the market after Henry died. She needed the money to pay for the medical bills. But housing prices had crashed, and she was homeless before it even sold. She has no idea who bought it. It had gone into foreclosure when she couldn't make the mortgage, and if it did sell, well her mother never mentioned it. Regina's parents had paid the down payment, a gift mostly from her father, and well her mother never let them forget who truly owned the place.

She leans up against the front gate, toys with the latch absently as she stares at the dark cherry wood door, wondering who lives inside now. What family gets to put up their Christmas tree in the den, have breakfast in her kitchen, play in the tree house Daniel and his father built for Henry in the backyard. Someone has a life here. It's their home now. She just a previous resident.

It would take her years to build up enough savings to even think about buying a house again. She needs this job interview tomorrow to go well. It has too. Dinner for the next week is riding on it. And she's not one for being nervous, but it's been a long time since she's had to talk about herself in that way. Express her smarts and hope someone takes an interest in her. A daunting task to say the least when she hasn't had a job in five years.

"Regina?."

She freezes mid thought at the voice behind her. One she hasn't heard in what feels like forever.

"My girl is...is that you?"

A tentative hand reaches to touch her hand clenched against the gate. And the second the feeling of his hand encompasses her, the tears that are burning her eyes burst down her cheeks. It takes less than a second before she's completely wrapped up in his arms, the smell of peppermint and cigars muddling her brain as his low sotto voice whimpers and rocks her gently.

She hugs him back fiercely, burying her face into the soft wool of his scarf, melting into his arms. His fingers card through her hair, a hand runs up and down her back as he hushes her tears.

"It's alright darling, I'm here." A kiss is pressed into her temple as he moves back to find her eyes, swollen and red as they are, and she's met with equal emotion in a matching pair of brown. "I've missed you so much Regina." His thumb swipes away at her tears.

He looks the same, older and more grey, a few extra wrinkles around his eyes, less hair on the crown of his head as he slips off his charcoal hat, but still. "I've missed you too daddy." Her voice shakes against a new onslaught of gathering wetness in her eyes, the lump in her chest swallowing up her ability to breathe.

"I'm so sorry Regina." He frowns down at their locked hands rather guiltily, "I am so sorry I wasn't there for you."

She hasn't seen him in years. Work had taken him across the ocean to Africa to work in a refugee camp. It was only supposed to be for eight months. But the last letter she received had been full of apologies that he wasn't going to make it home for Henry's fifth birthday, nor would he be back for Christmas. There was just too many people that needed aide and his heart far to soft and whole to turn his back on them. She understood. Still does. But his absence in those last years of Henry's life had been enormous.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." She tries to smile, squeezing his old hands in her own. He sighs with a shake of his head, "I should have come home sooner."

"You didn't know."

And he didn't. In all honesty she had been so involved in being there for Henry that the time to write her father had gone to the waste side, she figured her mother would have said something to her husband. Clearly that never happened.

"I wasn't there for you or Henry and I should have been. I should have taken care of you both."

It's his heavy sniff and watery eyes that have Regina tugging him into another hug, holding him tight as he cries quietly into the lapel of her coat. She wishes he was there. Things would have been easier if he was. But she can't change the past.

"You were gone Regina. Both of you."

"I know daddy. I'm sorry."

"There is nothing for you to apologize for. I am your father. I should have been there."

She's at a loss for words, just hugs him harder instead.

"Can you forgive me?"

"There is nothing to forgive."

He smiles, finally. Sad and sorrowful as it is. "When I came back, your mother told me what happened to Henry. She said you left."

A lie, but what else would Regina expect from her mother.

"Where did you go?"

It's a loaded question. She technically went nowhere. But he is already filled with such guilt and regret she can't possible tell him the truth. At least not today. Perhaps another time if she can find the courage inside to tell her father how low she had sunk, how much she had lost, and how lost she still is.

"I stayed in the city."

"Where? I looked for you."

"You did?"

"Everywhere. I called your work, they said you had taken time off after Henry's death and hadn't been in for a year. I came here, all your stuff was gone, packed in your mother's garage, a for sale sign on the house. I was so worried."

"I'm sorry. I should have called."

Though it's not like she had a cell phone. And whatever money she had went to food not a payphone. What would she have even said? _Hi Daddy, I'm homeless._ Her father is a proud man, fiercely proud of his daughter, it would have crushed him if he knew she slept behind a concrete wall in the subway, living off of dollar bills strangers pitifully gave to her.

"How come you're here?"

His grey brows arch high at her question, a flicker of confusion passing over his face as he scans her own, "I live here now."

Well that she wasn't expecting. "Here? In this house?"

"I couldn't let your mother sell it."

"You bought it?"

Her eyes spin to the front door, "You bought my house." She breathes out in disbelief. Part of her family still lives here. Tears sweep into her eyes. She hasn't lost everything inside. The memories are still there.

"Does mother live here too?"

"Gods no. I left your mother after it came out that she left you and Henry alone at the hospital."

Regina frowns as she turns back to her father. He wasn't ever a man to take on Cora head on. She ruled the roost so to speak, he and Regina simply residents in her kingdom. Sometimes she'd wondered why her father had married Cora in the first place. They had nothing in common from what she knew, Cora could barely stand to be in the same room as him if she wasn't ordering him around. It was nothing like her marriage to Daniel. That was a partnership. One that had love so real it was palpable.

"Wow."

"I know, seems I grew a spine in my old age." He chuckles and squeezes Regina's hand. "Now, would you like to come in?"

She would. But walking through that front door means confronting everything she'd lost.

"I can't."

She feels him sag beside her as he nods understandingly. "Perhaps another time."

Yes. Another time, when she is ready to walk through the door and see the ghost of her life long ago. "Where are you staying now?"

"Uhm, on the east side."

Her father's brow creases. That part of town isn't exactly safe and secure from what he knows. And clearly by the shameful look on his daughter's face there is more to the story than she is letting him in on. Building back this relationship will have to take some time. When she is less afraid of judgement he would never pass on her.

"Here, take my phone. Call anytime." He presses his cell into her hand. "Daddy I can't, you need it."

"Oh please, I can get another. It would make me feel better knowing that we have a way to talk again."

"I'd like that."

She smiles, and he wraps her up in a hug once more. "I know I failed you once before Regina, I won't allow it to happen again."

"Thank you Daddy."

"And I mean it. I know that number off by heart, you should be expecting my calls every day."

"Can't wait."

"Where are you headed now?"

Oh right. She was going somewhere. It was supposed to be back to the motel so she could spend the afternoon looking over her potentially new companies records and history for the interview tomorrow.

"To the cemetery actually."

"You're going to go see Henry?"

Well that she isn't sure about yet. But something or rather someone is pulling her that way. Leading her heart to a place she never thought she'd step foot in.

"He's beside Daniel. Beneath the oak tree on the south hill. I had an epitaph made for him."

Her heart crumbles in on itself. "You...you did?" The tears run hot down her cheeks once more as she stares disbelieving at her father who simply smiles and tips his hat, "I owed it to him, to both of you."

"Thank you."

"Always. I mean that."

Sniffing hard, she wipes the last of the tears away, "Do you want to have dinner sometime?"

"I'd love it. How about tomorrow? I'll cook."

"You can cook?"

"The single life has made me quite aware how terrible a chef I used to be."

That has Regina chuckling. "You made great paella."

"I still do. It's on the menu for dinner."

She hugs her father once more, soaking in as much of him as she can, not really believing that he is here and she is actually talking to him, holding him, having a second chance to have a part of her family back.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

.

..

…

..

.

Her heart thunders in her throat as the cemetery gate comes into view. Tall and looming, holding all the things she fears most within it. She can feel the tears begin to burn the backs of her eyes with every step she takes, the breath in her lungs running tight and dry. Maybe she isn't brave enough today to do this. To walk alone through the rows of headstones, with flowers laid gently against them, the people long lost to those who still love them resting below.

Her feet stutter against the pavement, her hands resting heavy on the iron bars. She swallows hard against the lump in her throat at the thought of both her husband and son being beyond these gates. It's too much. She's not ready yet. Not today.

Opting against walking inside, she sits down on a wooden bench beside the opening, knees bouncing uncontrollably on the sidewalk. Chewing on her lip in an attempt to stifle the sob that threatens to escape she fumbles with the hem of her jacket, closing her eyes and tips her head back to the sky. For a long moment she just lets the sun warm her skin, and dry the tears on her cheeks.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

It's a repetitive mantra that runs through her mind. Just breathe. This place isn't going anywhere. She can come back another day. When the fear of seeing her baby boy's name emblazoned on a tombstone won't have her spine crumbling into the dirt.

"Regina! You came!"

She turns enough to see Roland's hand escaping Robin's and his little legs thundering towards her. He throws himself into her arms before she's really ready to catch him, and they tumble gently back into the bench with a laugh. "I just knew you'd come!"

Well, it's not like she was planning on it, nor is she still planning on walking through those gate, but this little boy is so happy to see her, hugs her so tight it has her heart stumbling over itself as she squeezes him back. Between them, a bouquet of white lilies squishes and Regina inhales heavy at their perfume smell. She loves lilies. Daniel used to bring her a dozen of them every friday.

"Regina?"

She peers down at Roland who is eyeing her up curiously with those big brown button eyes.

"Why are you sad?"

Can't get anything past children can you? They are far too perceptive even at their young age. She sniffs and sighs, running her hands through his hair. And her heart melts when little hands come up to pat her last few tears on her cheeks away. He is far too sweet for his own good, and for her own good. She is falling in love with this boy and it's only been one day. A few hours really, and she's completely head over heels for his dimples and toothy grin.

"Honestly, I'm a little afraid." She smiles shyly at him.

"Why?"

"Well," She swallows heavily, securing her arms around his legs straddled on her lap. "It's been a really long time since I've been at this cemetery." Roland looks at her confused, scanning her face with a tiny frown. "You know how your mom is in there?" He nods. "I have people in there too. Two people I loved very very much."

"And you're scared to see them?"

A tear falls as she lets a heavy breath go, her eyes closing as she leans into the mop of brown hair, "Yes." She feels Robin sit down beside them, enough space that they aren't shoulder to shoulder, but his thigh brushes up against hers gently. "Roland, do you remember the first time we came here after Mommy died?"

Roland nods again.

"Do you remember how scared were both were?"

"Yeah."

"And do you remember what Grandma told us?"

"She said we had to be brave like Mommy was."

"You're right." He ruffles his son's hair with a smile. "And are you scared to go visit your mother now?"

"Nope! Because we get to talk to her lots."

"Exactly."

Regina gives Robin a watery smile as Roland tucks into her chest for another hug. "It's okay to be afraid Regina. Papa and I will help you." Her heart bashes into her ribs when Robin too leans in, wraps an arm around her shoulders and squeezes softly. How is it possible that in a single day the two of them have managed to weasel their way past her defenses and straight into her heart? It's an overwhelming feeling of gratitude she has for this man again. He doesn't have to be doing any of this. Letting her into his family like they've been friends for decades. But it feels natural, which is odd to her. To want to be held and soothed by the both of them. Friends were never something Regina had much of, nor did she think she'd ever have any again.

For a long while they sit on the bench together, quiet as Regina rocks Roland side to side, his hands patting on her chest softly with each breath. It's really a beautiful day, and she doesn't want to ruin it for them. This is a special place for Robin and Roland. Being the dark cloud on such a bright sunny day is the last thing she wants to be.

Stealing her nerves, and finding the courage that Henry had, she hugs Roland tight once more before leaning back, into the side of Robin's chest, feeling the thumping of his heart on her back. "Will you hold my hand?" She asks quietly. And it was a question for Roland, but she feels Robin's fingers trace over her palm and lace into her own.

"Yep!" Roland grins, and hops off her lap, grabbing her free hand, oblivious to other already being held by his father. "I'll show you where Mommy is." She stands on wobbly legs, shaking slightly as they begin to walk towards the opening of the cemetery. The moment Roland steps inside, Regina feels her feet freeze to the spot, this is it. Once she is in, there is no turning back.

"It's okay, I promise you." Robin whispers into her hair, clutching her hand tightly as she lets a trembling breath go with a nod, her tears back in full force as she lets father and son guide her on the stone path and past the iron gate. She doesn't look anywhere. Just down at her feet that walk slowly along the cobblestone, winding left and right, past the rows and rows of headstones.

It's silent here. Not a single sound but their feet clicking on the walkway. But all she can hear is her heart pulsing in her ears as they turn left and step onto the grass. Roland lets her hand go first, skipping towards a dark brown granite headstone. Robin stills beside her, squeezes her hand and watches his boy lay the bouquet of flowers down as he sits on the grass beside his mother. He can hear his boy chattering quietly to the clouds, but his eyes are locked onto the profile of Regina. She's beautiful. He already knew that, but for some reason, the light is casting a glow over her features in a way he wasn't exactly prepared for. The chocolate of her hair shines in dark and light highlights, eyes whiskey gold, red rimmed and filled with tears that fall silently onto perfect olive skin, down pink tinted cheeks and past ruby parted lips.

It steals the breath right out of him. It's not love at first sight. He's seen her a hundred times before. But something in his gut balloons and pops in his chest. A feeling he hasn't felt since he met Marian. After their fourth date, she had smiled shyly at him on her doorstep, blushing furiously as she fumbled with her keys. He'd simply stood there, enamoured by her everything and he when her door finally cracked open, this exact same feeling overwhelmed him. It had been the first time they kissed. When she bid him a bashful good night, his heart slammed against his chest, fighting furiously to not let her hand go just yet, taking over his entire being for a moment and he kissed her and that bubble in his stomach erupted euphorically.

It was the first time he knew he loved her. That she would one day be his wife. That he would spend the rest of his life being so bloody grateful to kiss her every morning and every night. But he barely knows Regina. Knows nothing really about her. And yet this feeling is boiling over once more. And for the first time in what feels like years, a sense of hope tickles his spine. Perhaps he's found a second chance.

"Regina, come meet my mom!" Roland squeals in front of them, waving them both to sit down by Marian's headstone. Robin steps first, keeps his hand locked tightly into Regina's and guides her slowly towards his son. He doesn't even let her go when he settles down on the grass, her knees bumping against his as she sits down half sideways so Roland can slide into her lap. "Mommy, this is Regina. She's my new friend!" He smiles all dimpled up to her, proud as a peacock to introduce them both.

For a half second, Regina isn't sure what to say. It's rather strange to talk to someone you've never met, who can't exactly talk back. "It's nice to meet you Marian." She smiles at the name emblazoned on the stone, imagining the woman in the photo's she saw earlier this morning. A beautiful smile, bright brown eyes like her son, and matching curly hair. Regina imagines her voice being light and soft, a gentle soul that would match her family.

Robin runs a palm along the stone, his own quiet greeting as he sighs. He misses her. That much Regina can plainly see. While this may be a chance for Roland to feel like he is close to his mother, Regina understands it is also a moment for Robin to heal. A love he lost far too soon. She knows that feeling. Her heart aching as she hears him sniff, running his hand over his eyes and blinking back his own tears. She grips the one that is still linked in her own, squeezing gently in some sort of comfort she hopes he can feel. If they are helping her, she will do her damndest to reciprocate the feeling. He grins, clutches her fingers tight before releasing and lingering.

They spend an hour there, Regina listening to every story Roland regails about his mom, how she used to make the best apple pancakes on Sunday mornings, the stories she read him at night, his favorite being Peter Pan. That stills Regina. It was Henry's most treasured fairytale too. Her eyes drift off to the horizon, over to a hill and a tall oak tree. It seems impossibly far away and yet so close she swears she can hear his small laugh whispering on the wind around her. Tears burn and fall without her control. A sob escaping as she stares out at the two distant headstones where her family lays.

"Are you alright?"

Robin leans into her, tipping his head enough to catch her gaze that wanders out into the distance. For a moment he wonders if it is simply too much for her to be here. A cemetery isn't exactly the happiest of places after all. But the way she shrinks, shoulders sagging in her blazer as her face falls into her knees has his heart cracking in the most horrid of ways. She's lost someone too.

He should have known. Guilt washes over him as her shoulders shake through her tears. Without really thinking if she'd want it, his arms wrap around her, sliding her back into his chest, his fingers winding their way through her hair, tucking her in tight as she turns into his jacket, clutching at the lapels and cries, harder than he ever imagined a person could.

Roland crawls his way over, frowning dismally as Robin sways Regina back and forth, running a free hand up and down her arm softly. They lock eyes, father and son, and Robin nods at Roland's silent question. He adjusts Regina, opens his arms enough to have his boy climbing onto his lap and nestling his face into the crook of Regina's neck. Her hands subconsciously wrapping around his tiny body instantly as he buries himself into her chest.

Robin sighs, presses a kiss to the crown of Regina's head, kicks himself internally because that is probably too far, but his heart needs to comfort her, needs to soothe the torment that wracks her body. And for what it's worth, she doesn't even seem to notice the affection, which is probably for the best. "It's okay Regina. Don't cry." He hears Roland's tiny voice whispering out against her skin. "Don't be sad."

His eyes flick over to Marian's headstone and a single tear escapes Robin as his leans his cheek down to rest against Regina's head. He misses his wife, so bloody much some days it hurts. But he can see her. The way she would be smiling and giving him _that_ look. The one he knew came from her heart. She always said how good he was. How big is heart was, the way he loved and protected those around him. It was one of the many things she loved about him. Understood about him. And he cherishes her for it.

"I'm sorry." Regina sniffs beneath him, straighten her back as she moves upright, wiping away her tears into the sleeve of her jacket. She's embarrassed. He can feel it exuding off her. And there is nothing for her to be ashamed about. Emotions as the driving force of human nature. He'd have to be an absolute git to make her feel as though she should be humiliated by them. Pain is real. Loss is real. And it's not something that goes away. Even though everyone says time heals all wounds. Some are just too deep, they bleed to much out of the soul for it to ever be truly stitched and healed again.

"There is nothing to be sorry for." He brushes her hair back, smiling softly as her eyes fall from his and to their conjoined hands behind Roland's back. She doesn't believe him. He can see it in the vacancy in her eyes as she shrugs and swallows heavily. He moves. Wriggles his hand that holds her to him free and tips her chin up to meet his.

And it hits him again. That exploding fireworks of unexpected feeling. Even all snotty nosed, red rimmed eyes and dismal gaze, she is beyond stunning. Down to the little sniff and scrunch of her nose, it all has his heart waddling up out of his throat and flying into her lap.

"Regina. Look at me."

She does, barely, but her eyes flick momentarily up to him, briefly caught in the bright blue colour. "It's alright. You can cry. No one here would think less of you for it."

Well shit. Her tears flood once more. How can he be this good. This pure to a complete stranger. Holding her in his arms, his son squished between them, providing her with the one things she's never truly had since Daniel died. Safety. She bites down on her lip that shakes terribly as she nods, and sinks back into his chest.

"Thank you."

"Always."

He means it. She can feel it. The way he says it, how his arm curls around her waist once more and tugs her even closer to him. He's already seen her at her lowest. Dirt riddled, messy haired, bony and begging against a cement block. Even in that state not once did she ever feel him judging her for where she was, or who she was. He is quite possibly aside from the old woman at the bakery, the only person who actually saw her for being the exact same thing, a person. Not a homeless women with a rumpled hat and a few quarters inside.

Sighing she sits back up, runs a hand over Roland's back and turns her eyes back out to the hillside. It's now or never.

"Hey, Roland?"

He tips his head up with a grin.

"Would you like to meet my son?"

 **TBC.**


	105. Come Back

Based off of what Lana said Regina would say at Robin's Grave at NJCon 2017

"Come Back."

He's noticed how tired his mother is lately. The circles under her eyes, puffier, a darker plum that usual, her cheeks hollowing day by day as another plate of dinner is barely touched. He's not seen her smile much as of late. It's been nearly a month since they lost Robin and everyday he knows his mother's heart grows weaker with longing pain. And it's a wound he can't heal. Try as he might, with additional time spent at home with her, making breakfast in bed when she hasn't asked, and all the extra hugs and _I love you mom_ 's, it's just not enough to help ease the loneliness that plagues her.

More than once he's walked by her room in the middle of the night, only to hear muffled cries stifled by a pillow. Seen how she quickly wipes away silent tears over a morning cup of cold coffee. She tries to hide it from him. From everyone. But the mask that she once was able to conjure is cracked and broken. It hides nothing from prying eyes and pitiful glances. They see everything that torments her soul as though it's splayed out like a book, open for all to read.

He feels helpless. Has had a ridiculous amount of "pep talks" from his grandparents, from Emma, from nearly all the townspeople telling him to have hope, that time heals all wounds, she will get better, this will all get better. But they are just pretty words that do nothing to help. And for what it's worth, he misses Robin too. More than he has really let on. He had a father figure again. Someone to teach him how to become a true, honest and courageous man. And he had Roland, a baby brother to help guide through life and all its turmoils. He'd been looking forward to it in all honesty. Having a family. Waking up to the sound of his mother giggling when Robin would wrap his arms around her at the stove, kiss her gently and sway her back and forth.

And yeah at the time he thought it was gross, seeing his parents kiss, it was downright revolting, and he'd give anything right now to interrupt them again. To see the blush flare on his mother's cheeks and the shy smile Robin would give before bestowing a last affection to her. Their house used to be a happy place. Where he and Roland would run around wildly, chasing monsters till their breath ran dry, and Robin gave up and surrendered. He misses those moments. And for someone who is supposed to have the heart of the truest believer, he is finding it hard to have faith in anything anymore, happy endings least of all.

She's says she is fine. He knows better. Even now with the hug she squeezes him into and the small smile that graces her lips, it's her eyes that are the dead giveaway. Vacant. They've lost their sparkle she once had. His heart hangs heavy at the thought he can't even bring her all the happiness she needs anymore. Once upon a time all she said she needed was him. But he's grown up now, and he knows that while his mother loves him with all her heart, it's just different now. For a smidge of time she had an actual happy ending, love from more than just her son to fill her soul with, and the hole that's been left in her heart is gaping in Robin and Roland's absence.

They eat a quiet dinner together, either saying much though Regina tries to ask him about his day at school, how Violet is, and all the other small things in his life that don't really seem like they matter that much right now. He answers as best as he can, but his mind is elsewhere. Dinner is over rather soon, and Henry watches his mom walk tiredly up the stairs and into her room for the night.

He tosses and turns for what feels like hours. Staring blankly out into the distant twinkling stars. Everything is just quiet. Quiet enough that he hears her door crack open, the soft padding of her feet against the wooden floor and down the stairs. Furrowing his brow, his blanket is tossed off and he cracks his door open, spying out into the foyer over the banister to see his mom tugging on her boots and black coat. He sits quietly against the railings, resting his head against the wall as she silently sighs, grabs her keys and heads off into the blackness of the winter night. Its freezing tonight. And that doesn't escape him. Wherever she is going, surely just a jacket isn't going to keep her warm.

He tugs on his own boots, coat, mittens, a hat and a checkered scarf. And the moment before he is about to walk out the door, he spies the burgundy scarf hanging on the coat hanger. Its' Robin's. Sighing, he grabs it, tucks it under his arm and heads out the door and follows the snowy footsteps that wind towards the cemetery.

It doesn't take him long to find her. The light of the moon shining against her back and his name emblazoned on the granite headstone. She's just sitting there, knees tucked into her chest, arms curled around her legs, and chin resting on a free hand, the other tracing the lines of the stone etched emblem that matched his tattoo. For a moment he leans against a hidden tree, heart clenches tighter with every sniff he hears echo from her.

When Robin had left for New York, he thought that was the saddest his mother had ever been, and there was still a fraction of hope left in her heart that maybe he'd come home. There was a chance and that had kept her going. But this. There is no reunion that is going to happen this time. No tears of happiness, no bodies molding into one another in a tight embrace, no chance at another kiss, or the possibility to hear them say they love each other.

Wiping away a fallen tear, he sighs and the snow crunches beneath his boots as he makes his way over to her. Robin's lessons at being sneaky must have paid off for she doesn't even notice him walking up behind her. But his mother must know he's here. She barely flinches as he settles in the snow beside her, just squeezes his hand tight as it laces into her own. Her cheeks are tear stained, eyes red rimmed, as she lets out a hard exhale and leans into him.

"I miss him too mom."

She sniffs, bites down on her trembling lower lip and nods silently. He can feel the pain radiating off of her. As hard as she tries to not break down, it seems that tonight the once unbreakable walls of Regina Mills have finally crumbled, under the stars, sitting in the snow with her son, and in front of the resting place of her soulmate. The choked sob has Henry's eyes peeling away from Robin's name and to her face. Brow furrowed, eyes clenched shut though the tears run freely down, shaky jaw she desperate bites back on. If he didn't know better he'd think she was in physical pain, that there was some bleeding wound seeping from her chest.

Saying nothing, Henry shifts, wraps an arm around her small shoulders and pulls her into his chest, rocking his mother back and forth as she cries inconsolably into the lapel of his coat. Turning to rest his cheek on her hair, he hides his own tears from her. Let's them trail down his face and spill onto the hem of her coat. Her breath hitches and cracks, lungs rattling with every intake of air as she clutches tighter onto her son.

"It's okay mom." His hand cards through her hair, tucks her beneath his chin, "It's okay, I'm here."

"I'm sor-sorr-y." She chokes out, curling herself into him. "I m-miss h-him. So much."

"I know."

For a long while, Henry just sits on the frozen ground, hugging his mother as the snow falls around them. He doesn't know what to do. What will help soothe the ache in his mom. Knowing nothing really will. So he just rocks them back and forth, a hand rubbing up and down her arm, his nose nuzzled into her hair.

Regina shifts, sits up straight and wipes her tears into her sleeve, and gives Henry one of the saddest more pitiful glances he's ever seen cross her features. She's ashamed. Feels guilty for breaking down in front of him. A ridiculous notion. She's only human. A person who's lost the love of her life. It's only natural to cry.

"Sorry." She hushes out quietly, squeezes his hand and moves out of his arms. Henry frowns, and reaches back to tip her lowered chin up to his eyes, much like she used to do to him as a boy. They are welled up and about to burst as he finds her gaze. "I know it's hard mom, but don't hide from me."

She smiles, a meek and dejected thing, "I shouldn't be unloading on you though. I'm your mother."

"So?"

Her brow creases, head tipping questioningly to the side as she scans his face. Henry grabs both her hands, folding Robin's scarf into her lap, "Just because you're my mom doesn't mean I can't be here for you. You lost him. I lost him. We are in this together. Parent-child pretenses aside, I am here for you. So if you need to cry, then do it."

She sniffs, swallows heavy.

"It's just me mom, and I love you. Snotty nose and all." He grins, and wipes away a fallen tear. He hears her chuckle wetly as he leans his head into rest on her shoulder, her hand running through his hair as she sighs heavily. "I will never know what I did to deserve you."

"I am pretty great." He bubbles back, tilting up to see her eyes shining down at him.

"Yeah, you are. Even if you snuck out of the house in the middle of the night."

"Hey, I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to catch a cold. We both know how grumpy you get when you're sick."

Regina scoffs, but cradles Henry tighter, leaning her cheek against the crown of his head as her eyes move to find Robin's name again. Nothing is going to make this ache go away. She already knows it from Daniel's death and that was just a split second of teenage puppy love. Robin was...he was every ray of sun shining bright and warm on the darkest of days. The first time that she honestly felt like maybe there was a chance she could actually have a happy ending, that love was a real tangible possibility for her.

Beneath her, Henry shivers, and the mother in her kicks back into gear. "Come on, you're freezing and have school in the morning."

"You sure?"

She smiles, presses a kiss to his temple, "Yeah, let's go."

They stand, and her fingers leave Henry's hand as she turns back to Robin, his scarf between her thumbs as she steps shakily forward and lays it on his headstone.

"In case you're cold."

She waits for him to answer. For a beating moment hopes to the high God's that his voice might actually whisper into her ears. But all that she's met with is silence, as always, since the day he died, it's just quiet. "I love you. More than you could ever know." Her eyes burn against another onslaught of tears.

"I just wish…" Her breath expels shakily, and she bites down on her lower lip, wrapping her arms about her waist. She runs a free hand along the edge of the stone, imagining the stubble of his beard, the softness of his lips, the callouses on his hands. "Come back to me."

It's just silence again and Regina's heart rips open a little more, hanging together by only a single thread that is her son. He is all she has left. Turning back to him, Regina wipes away her tears and lands an arm around his shoulders, his own wrapping around her waist as they walk off together back home, not seeing the light green shimmer that illuminates around a single headstone.

Tinkerbell said Pixie Dust Never Lies. And the fairy believes that to the bottom of her soul. Has given up the last remnant of her magic, begged and pleaded with the other fairies to give everything the could, for them all to finally help the one person who needs it most. It hadn't come without a battle, but Tinkerbell is stubborn, Regina would know that, and she should know that her fairy friend would never give up on her happy ending.

Regina walks into her room, shrugs off her coat, pulls on a pair of silk pajamas and crawls underneath the covers, feeling the absence of his body behind her as she always does. Blowing out a last heartbroken breath she curls his pillow into her nose, inhales heavy and lets her eyes drift close.

It's a soft knock that pulls her back into the land of the living. Confused and more than irritated to be interrupted, she climbs out of the warmth of her bed, slings a robe about her shoulders and walks down the stairs, ready to give whoever is on the other side a piece of her mind for waking her at such an ungodly hour. She swings the door open and everything shatters about her.

It's just blue eyes and a burgundy scarf.

That's it. It's all her mind can process.

"Hi."

Her heart thunders at the sound of his voice. This has to be a dream. It's not real. It's not possible for this to be real. For the feeling of his hands wrapping around her own to be real. The warmth of his breath against her cheeks can't be real. The weight of his body, none of it, it's a dream. She's dreaming. She has to be.

His arms around around her within a second, lips pressed against her forehead, the smell of pine and mint blooming about her. Her eyes clench shut, begging silently to let this dream last. She feels him sag into her, holding her tight to his chest.

It's a steady beat beneath her palm. A constant strong pulse patting against her hand. She's held enough hearts in her hand to know the feeling of life compared to death. And the hard thrumming beat, it's real.

"You came back?"

"I'm here."

"Promise?"

"I'm home, Regina. I promise."

Fin.


	106. Sharing is Caring?

**What's yours is mine?**

There are very few things that Regina Mill's truly covets in her life. That honest to god don't you dare touch it or I shall incinerate your hand type of refusal for others to take. One would be her son. Anyone who even thinks about taking him from her will suffer without a hint of remorse. Roland is a very close second and she loathes the day some bushy doe eyed girl falls in love with his dimples, the girl won't stand a chance. She supposes Snow is somewhere in that weird squishy spot in her heart, annoying as the woman can be, deep down Regina will protect her till her dying day.

Robin is another story. She loves him. Everything damn thing about him too. Even the incessant knowing look he gives her when he knows that she knows that he knows something is bothering her and she doesn't want to talk about it. She hates that look. Loves it. But hates it all the same. With his dumbly adorable smug grin and soft soothing touches that have her purring like some domestic cat in his lap.

Yes there are very few things that Regina will not allow to happen, harm to her family, her clothes being stolen from her closet, and perhaps the one thing that has her in a complete conundrum over what to do... her pillow. Which at present time is being commandeered by the thief himself. Snoring away, face stuffed into its feather gelled softness, not a care in the world as a small trickle of drool creeps down and puddles on the satin case.

She loves him. But it's the fourth time he's sneaked away to bed before she has, damn well knowing he is going to steal from her, and off he goes to dreamland and there isn't a thing she can do about it. He's a million pounds asleep. A deadweight she's tried to shove and move about in a feeble attempt to corral her treasure back. And come every morning, while she is stiff necked and grouchy that the devil himself ready to ignite Robin in fire, he turns over, gives her that preposterously adorable sleep riddled smile and the fireball ready in waiting beneath her skin extinguishes itself.

The whimper that escapes her as she walks into their room, only to see his head cradled softly by her pillow, is pathetic. It's just a pillow. It shouldn't be this big of a deal. But she is so damn tired tonight, and all she wants is to snuggle into her side of the bed and actually sleep. Which isn't going to happen on the paper thick pillow Robin said was comfortable the day they bought them. He even cheekily chided her for needed the more expensive luxurious one. Bloody hypocrite.

Sighing, Regina changes into a silk set and slides underneath the covers, turns and stares daggers at the snores coming from the other side. How he doesn't wake with the loathing glare she is sending him is beyond her. And if it's possible she swears as she desperately tries to adjust the limp pillow underneath her into something remotely comfortable, Robin lets out a happy blissful puff of air and tucks himself in tighter, his fingers gripping the edges of her pillow as he sinks.

It's just a pillow. He deserves to get a good night's sleep after all the hectic things he has to deal with over the past little while. It's not like she hasn't also been battling every day alongside him though. They were hand in hand, or magic and arrow earlier today when the hell demons came into town. She is tired too. Really really tired. And the sound of Robin's heavy dull breathing beside her isn't making the irritation that he once again thieved from her any better.

Scowling, she flips onto her side, huffing as she tugs the blankets hard away from him and around her shoulders. If he gets the pillow, then she gets the blankets. Outlaw is used to sleeping outside anyway, the chilly winter air shouldn't be a bother. She flips, and flops, twists and cracks her joints trying to find someway to get comfy, but this fucking pillow is going to be the death of her. It's so thin she mine as well sleep on the mattress without it.

A protection spell, she grins, that's her answer. She can cast a spell around her pillow so that she be the only one allowed to rest upon it. It's a foolproof plan. Smiling to her personal victory awaiting tomorrow, she dips into the touch of Robin's hand on her hip, even allows him to sleep drunkenly tug her back into his chest, mumbling something about her stealing all the covers. She says nothing, just wriggles a bit further back, stuff the sandpaper pillow into something resembling a cushion and drifts off to sleep.

But tomorrow all bets are off and the pillow is only hers.

And it's a good day, all things Hades aside, as she and Robin finally walk through the front door of the mansion, his daughter safely in tow, the villain of the month vanquished, and her family still in tact. All she can think about, besides how grateful she is that there wasn't anymore permanent damage done today, is how exhausted she is, and how there is a beautiful, protected, satin soft pillow awaiting her head to fall upon. It's going to be a damn good sleep tonight.

So it's to her horrified astonishment that after she has kissed both Roland, Henry and Ellie goodnight, all tucked in tight, secure and most importantly home, her pillow isn't exactly vacant. Which is impossible because she put the protection spell on it. Anyone who dared move it should have been lovingly zapped with a minor sting. But there he is. Naked from the torso up, feet crossed over one another and head dipped delightfully into her pillow, a half woken smile and barely extended hand to her in request she come join him.

The frown that forms on her brow is deep. Hard enough she swears the muscles below may cramp as she sits down beside him, eyes trailing begrudgingly between his sandy brown hair and the dark grey satin cover.

"What's wrong?"

His blue eyes creep open when he finally has realized that she hasn't settled beside him just yet.

She scowls harder.

"Regina? Love? Tell me."

It's stupid and she shouldn't be so wrapped up in irritation about this, but it's _her_ pillow. Clearly Robin clue's in. Chuckles and presses a kiss to her cheek as he sits up and helps strip her of her clothing.

"That's my pillow." She whines, giving him her best pouty miserable eyes.

He grins, licks his lips in a way that have her brain fuzzing out for a moment. "Haven't you heard sharing is caring?"

Regina huffs, but lets him drag her down into bed. "I put a protection spell on it."

"What?"

"You shouldn't have been able to steal it again."

"You knew I was a thief when you met me."

She grimaces, shakes her head because he is right, dumb stupid soulmate she adores with every fiber in her being. Maybe she didn't cast the spell correctly? Tomorrow, she will try again tomorrow. "Sleep my love." He shuffles so his big fat head moves a touch and she can lay on her pillow beside him. It's not the comfort she was anticipating earlier today, his beard scratches against her forehead, his breath is hot on her skin, but it's...nice, better than nothing, and sleeping in his arms isn't exactly the worst thing in the world.

While his hands trail up and down her back, Regina finds herself tucking in tighter to his chest, half resting on him, half on her pillow, and well, it's doing the trick she supposes as sleep begins to drag her away. The last thought on her mind floating back to the spell that clearly didn't work. It should have. What could possibly break a magical spell?

His heart thumps steady under her ear as she shifts more on to him, a solid rhythmic beat that once more has her brow creasing as she tilts herself up to see his eyes already closed, mouth slightly agape and soft snores puffing out. It's a good thing she loves him…

"Oh my god. You've got to be kidding me." She pouts and bounces her head into his chest with a shake of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Robin mumbles from his sleep, and he is so tired, and the least she can do is let him actually get some sleep. She kisses him and nuzzles back down into his neck, rolling her eyes as a smile creeps up her lips. They are going to have to buy another pillow because apparently, _True Love's kiss can break any spell._

She just didn't think it would pertain to something so trivial.

Fin.


	107. To My Love,

Paper - OQ Christmas Advent 2017

She's read it over a hundred times, knows every single word, can even see his dimpled grin biting down on a inked quill as he marked the soft curled paper with the secrets in his heart. It's been the one thing she goes to know when the world is cratering in around her, a dark and lonely hug that embraces her tighter each day.

A silly little rhyming poem he'd written she doesn't know when, but her fingertips have roamed every stroke of ink every day since she found it, and somehow it makes her feel like he's with her again.

My Dearest Regina,

There are a few things I want you to know

It's the way you've made my heart glow.

For a long time I was nothing but a lonely thief

Searching for something through my grief.

We've both lost a love far too young

A wound so deep it bled and stung.

But then one day amongst my despair

You were suddenly there, a silent answered prayer.

To be honest, we both know it wasn't love at first sight

At times it felt like all we did was fight.

You saved my son, without a second thought

And my heart began to unravel from its concrete hardened knot

Steady as the days did pass

Stories of the Evil Queen, I felt my doubt begin to shatter like glass

This once terrifying woman I began to understand

Was sad and soft, even with every reprimand.

I saw the pain that lingered beneath the mask

Soothing your torn soul, it became my only task.

Slowly and with much tedious persistence

The walls around you began to fall with little resistance.

A memory curse stole our first kiss

And the moment I saw you again, I knew something was amiss

Bold and Audacious, the only words I could find

That smile you bit back still resonates in my mind

I thought of kissing you amongst the whiskey and rye

But you ran and I was left wondering why

I didn't understand what I had done to scare you so

Of our destined life I'd yet to know

You trusted your heart to a common thief like me

The bright light beneath the darkness I could see

But I let you down, and thought I lost you in the process

But you walked into my camp and kissed me nonetheless

The feeling of your lips on mine, I'm not sure I can explain

Though as my soulmate, I hope you know it all the same

Hand in hand, I vowed I'd return it to it's rightful place

And you wrapped your arms around me in the most perfect embrace

Since that night in your office by the fire

My heart knew of loving you, I'd never tire

Strong, resilient, stunning, a mother fierce and true

My admiration for you only grew

I almost said it, whispered it into your ear

Something I'd been dying to have you hear

But life isn't always easy nor kind

And I was left with a choice which rendered me blind

I know I made mistakes and treated you unfair

Until the moment I realized being without you I could no longer bear

I begged and promised that I would be a better man

To never again make you feel like you were less than

I pleaded for you to see that you'd always been my first choice

How desperately I needed you, I simply had to voice

To the gods above I will forever be in their debt

For you forgave and saw that where my heart lay was truly set

I said I chose you, that day by the lake

And I meant every word, your heart I'd never again break

But circumstance gave me an impossible decision

At the townline, my soul was ripped from my chest with brutal precision

I did the one thing I promised I'd never do

I will never be able to apologize enough for what I put you through

And yet after everything you came back to be my savior

Forgave me, even as I felt like a failure

You kissed me and promised it would be alright

We just had to hold onto each other tight

Through portals and realms we've gone together

Even when hope seemed lost, I knew any storm we could weather

I was so proud seeing you on those Camelot stairs

A vision so stunning, no one else even compares

I remember thinking as we danced and spun about

I was in love with you and there was not a shred of doubt

I'm sorry I scared you stepping in front of that knife

But sacrificing my life for yours, I'd never think twice

I swear to you now, as I sit here writing

That to protect you, I will never stop fighting

I imagine our future, together old and grey

My love for you, stronger each day

Perhaps we will have more children, a house amongst the trees

It matters not to me, but wherever you go, take me please

I promise when the time comes for this life to end

This love between us, for all eternity it will transcend.

And at the end, I'll think back to our start

Forever grateful you let a thief steal your heart

I love you Regina Mills, my one and only soulmate

To be the one to call you mine, it's a wonderful fate.

Yours forever and always,

Robin.

He'd left it tucked away in a box in her closet. A secret gift she hadn't found until after. And for as heart melting the words were on paper, all she did was cry til there were no tears left to spill. A year she's been without him. It seems to span a decade thought it's only been three hundred and twelve days.

It seems to sting a little more with the tide of holiday around the corner. Seeing those around her arm in arm, blushing under mistletoe, oblivious to their surroundings. It brings out love in people, Christmas. Makes it completely okay to be over the top affectionate and cheery to everyone and anyone. But when you have no one to share those moments with, well, it becomes much harder to find the joy in sparkling lights and late night mugs of spiked eggnog.

Being alone with only her thoughts and his poem, a sudden compulsion to give him something back, to tell him everything she hadn't gotten the chance too became overwhelming. So she turned over the parchment with his words, and wrote him back, knowing he'd never get the opportunity to read it, but all the same, she had to do it.

 _Dear Robin,_

 _I loved the sound of your voice_

 _Soothing the demons inside me without a choice._

 _I loved how you saw the light within_

 _The way you'd let my hair down with a grin._

 _I loved that you never backed down_

 _With every sharp remark thrown your way when I wore that unwanted crown._

 _I loved that even when I was scared_

 _You were the only one who dared._

 _I loved feeling your hands caress_

 _The way you looked at me in that dress._

 _I loved how our hands entwined_

 _That spark I never thought I'd find._

 _I loved how your heart was so pure_

 _How you promised that anything we would endure._

 _I loved laying beside you at night_

 _At the end of the day when everything finally felt right._

 _I loved to hear your every sigh_

 _My most favorite, that twinkle in your eye._

 _I loved how your faith in me never did waver_

 _And in the end, you were my heart's saviour._

 _I loved the nights in my office by the fire_

 _The need to kiss you again and again, completely dire._

 _I loved the feeling of your lips on mine_

 _I felt it that night, our souls align._

 _I loved to bask myself in everything that is you_

 _And feel your heart, beating so true._

 _I loved the mornings when your arms wrapped around me tighter_

 _Somehow you made me feel so much lighter._

 _I loved that day you said you chose me_

 _A happily ever after, I could finally see._

 _I loved watching you be a father to our boys_

 _All the laughter, a beautiful sweet noise._

 _I loved the ways you'd manage to sneak in a kiss_

 _That feeling, it was my heart's true bliss._

 _I loved the silly things you'd say just to see me smile_

 _Calming my nerves when I was feeling hostile._

 _I loved the way you always had hope_

 _Even in the worst time you taught me how to cope._

 _But now you're gone_

 _Not beside me with the rising dawn._

 _I miss you more than you'll ever know_

 _To those around me, this pain inside I dare not show._

 _Everyday I'll put on a brave face_

 _But this hole inside me, it's taking up too much space._

 _I don't want to give in_

 _I am trying to not let this loneliness win._

 _But how do I live a life without you_

 _Wishing you were beside me with everything I do._

 _I pray to the heavens above_

 _That one day we'll be together again my love._

 _We never said it, but I hope you knew_

 _I have always loved you._

 _Yours forever and always,_

 _Regina._

She lays the rolled piece of scripture down beside his headstone, presses a lonely kiss to the frozen granite, whispers that she loves him once more and walks away, wiping a single tear fallen onto her cheek.

She misses him.

And silently in the middle of the night for the past year, she's asked for him to come back to her. Promising that if just this one time a miracle could happen, she'd never ask for anything ever again.

But Santa Claus and Christmas miracles are for children who are still too naive and filled with wonder. It's not for the broken hearted, ravaged souls that walk the earth knowing damn well that life isn't filled with answered prayers, but silence in the darkest of times.

She expects nothing to come of her tearful pleading, she knows better than too believe in that sort of magic.

The papers rustle in the chilled wind, snow flakes falling, dampening it's parchment edges till the ink begins to bleed from one word to the next.

What she failed to realize when writing the words on the same piece of paper as her soulmate did, was the small detail he'd left out about how he came to acquire it. Not that it looks like anything but parchment, not to the unknowing eye at least. Even Robin himself did not know the speck of magic the simple piece of paper held, nor the ink he was given as a gift alongside it.

He'd smiled, thanked the man and walked out of his shop without a second thought and headed straight to _their_ log hidden within the forest, where he spent the next hour sitting in the sun thinking about everything he wanted to tell her.

If he'd only known what magic words could truly possess or the power of true love and a touch of help from a completely unprecedented person. The Dark One knew what it was like to lose love, over and over again until it ate away at a person's sanity. And for all the fear and terror Rumplestiltskin once reigned with, somewhere deep in his heart, beneath all the evil was a softness he'd never admit too.

He took Regina down into the darkness with him, spun his web around her purity and scorned her heart till it turned as black as his. He doesn't regret it. Not really anyway. He'd never tell Regina either, but a part of him will always want to protect her. And not from demons and monsters, but from the pain of loss.

It's why he is here, watching her walk away from the cemetery, shoulders hunched and burgundy scarf billowing in the air. Picking up the piece of parchment, he dusts it off, doesn't read it for he already knows what is inside, but tucks it into his coat pocket.

He is no childhood caricature who brings presents down a chimney, but perhaps this one time, he can bring someone a miracle. And now, he finally has the last ingredient he needs to make it come true.

What can he say, he is rather fond of a good Christmas love story after all.

 _Fin._


	108. I Lovingly Hate Valentines

**HAPPY VALENTINES DAY PART 3 BEA! I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS ITTY BITTY BABY FIC FOR LOVERS LOVE LOVE DAY!**

 **Dark OQ Valentines Day**

**Set sometime in Season 7...where Dark OQ are in the Enchanted Forest**

She knows what the _holiday_ is, and what it's about, being a part of Regina in Storybrooke gave her enough insight to the absolutely grotesque needless bouquets of red roses, pink hearts and over the top down right nauseating displays of public affection. It's gag worthy in all honesty. And she'd desperately hoped that being back in the Enchanted Forest would give her the graces to avoid this day all together, but it looms nonetheless.

What's more humorous to her, is the fact that Robin is rather baffled by it all. He has never had a Valentines Day. Granted neither has she really. But still. He walks around the town with wide quizzical eyes amidst a disconcerted frown. He twirls roses between his fingers, thumbing the thorns with a huff. Eye's the handmade gifts people try to sell him for far too much. He could make them all himself, without having to spend a penny. And most of the time when he's spent too much time at a particular stand, scanning the trinkets other men are browsing over, Regina takes his hand, and leads them back into the forest where their cottage is. No bursting flower arrangements, no jewellery strewn about straw table stands, not a hint of red glazed sweets or anything equally inedible.

It's home, just the way she likes it. With a few added luxurious touches, but he can't blame her for wanting proper plumbing and hot water for a bath.

So no, Regina, the ex Evil Queen doesn't particularly like Valentines Day. And it seems Robin has decided he couldn't be bothered with the date anyway either. Which suits her just fine.

A couple nights back he had asked about it though, with an almost adorable boyish curiosity about the idea behind the holiday as he toyed with the ring on her left hand. It was a question she had scoffed at with a roll of her eyes, telling him rather bluntly that is was a ridiculous unnecessary day made up by the Snow White and Prince Charmings of the world, and she has absolutely zero interest partaking in any of it.

Robin shrugged, quietly mumbled he thought it was sort of endearing to have a day dedicated to someone's loved one. She stared at him, jaw agape. Completely stunned that her rough, foresty, manly man's man of a lover had a soft squishy part to him. It shook her a touch. But his eyes were honest, and it was his sentiment struck Regina a little deeper than she'd have thought. Perhaps the reason she abhors the so called lovers holiday is simply for the fact that she too, like her soulmate, has never had the chance to spend it with someone she loves.

That was days ago, and while she is certain she has completely put Robin off the idea of having their own Valentine's day, her palms are sweaty as she waits for him to get home. Technically it's not the actually date, it's tomorrow actually, but she figures he'll be less suspecting today. Her ear pick up the sound of horse hooves clicking lightly through the dirt leading up to their stable, and her heart races.

She feels slightly ridiculous, surrounding by a plethora of roses in all shades of rouge, candles lit along the mantle where a fire roars warmly below. Hell even the dress she is wearing is making her legs feel like jello. It's tight. Tighter than what she's been wearing lately, but it's beautiful, dark red in hue that melts along her curves, it's simple for the once Evil Queen, but for the Regina she is today, it's a hell of a dress up.

Tinkering with the bracelet Robin had bought her a few months ago she quickly fastens a pair of diamond drop earrings she had from her royal days, straightens the row of gold necklaces till they lay flat and in perfectly layered in gently swoops along her open collar.

She oddly misses wearing expensive things now that it's all on. Perhaps she will have to dress up for him more. Granted she's forgotten just how uncomfortable high stiletto's can be, it's only been an hour and her soles are already throbbing. She'll suffer one night for him.

Taking one last glance in the mirror behind her, ensuring her hair is still pristinely curled in long cascading waves down her back just like he likes, half pulled up by a gold and ruby laiden clip, she puffs out a breath and waits for him to walk through the door, praying to the high gods he isn't going to just laugh at all this. And that she will be able to get through the evening without blurting out a rather unexpected recent discovery.

The lock clicks, dusk light sweeping into the room and there he is. Jaw dropped, eyes wide as he scans their living quarters, all illuminated in a soft yellow candle glow until his gaze settles on her. She smiles, or at least tries to behind her nerves as his bag hits the ground and he moves slowly towards her with a curious grin and sparkling blue eyes.

She waits, a slight tremble in her knees as he closes the distance because he is handsome, striking more with the candle glow highlighting the brightness of his eyes, the sharp cut of his jaw that shadows into a dark scruff. Perhaps they will just have to forgo the dinner she made and get straight to her dress being torn off by his hands that have plucked a rose from the vase on the table as he still slower than molasses walks towards her.

She stares at the way the rose spins a touch lopsided in his hands, opting to not actually look at his eyes lest he see what a nervous wreck she actually is right now. Embarrassed down to her core at the fact the once Evil Queen is actually apprehensive and feeling rather shy about having a date with her husband. She used to seduce men with a mere arch of her brow, knowing they'd fall to their knees as she walked by. But the difference is she supposes whilst taking a moment to tell her heart to calm the hell down, is that she didn't love those men, but she is rather fond of Robin.

"What's all this?" He finally stops in front of her, coyly grinning from ear to ear.

"It's our Valentine's Day." Her voice barely squeaking out as he passes the rose to her. He hums in acknowledgement, his hand warm as it lands softly on her hip, squeezing once before he smiles curiously, "I thought you hated this holiday?"

"I do." She admonishes, leaning back so she can capture his gaze, one that is staring down at her rather heatedly. Swallowing, she tosses the rose on the table, and cocks her brow shyly at him, "But, either of us have ever gotten to have a Valentine's day, so I just figured, you know…" She shrugs as her words trail off. And maybe this was a ridiculous idea. They aren't much for public displays of affection. Though technically they aren't in public.

"Don't tell me you've gone all soft on me now Your Majesty."

His jest lands squarely in the slight vulnerability she is trying to hide away. They aren't some doey eyed pair of love birds who will sing songs to one another, or write love poetry whilst kissing underneath the stars. It's not them. And clearly Valentines Day isn't exactly their thing either, but she tried and his chuckle at the display of their house has her cheeks flushing red hot though she's usually pretty good at hiding it, Robin, damn him to all the ends of hell, see's the slight depression in her face as she deadpans a glare at him.

He smirks, shakes his head, and cups her cheek. "You look beautiful. Stunning really. And I must say whilst this has caught me off guard, I would love nothing more than to have my very first Valentine's day with you my love."

His lips brush against her own, gently and soft, though his hands wander to more indecent places behind her, and she can't help but smile into his kiss, shaking her head when she pulls away. "Now who's gone soft hmm?". Robin chuckles, squeezes her backside once more for good measure. "I won't tell a soul if you don't."

"Afraid your reputation as a hardened thief may be questioned?" Her fingernails tugs at the hair on the nape of his neck as she breathes him in, letting his arms do most of the holding. She likes his arms. All strapped with muscle and scars from a life similar to hers. They match in peculiar ways, she and this darker version of Regina's Robin Hood.

His arms wrap a fraction tighter, enough to have barely Regina's tip toes still on the floor, "Says the once Evil Queen." Before she can retort hotly back, he presses a bruising kiss to her lips, hard and arching in underlying need as she clings to him. His hips roll into hers, a hand firmly planted on her backside, the other stroking through her hair as they kiss until Robin finally pulls back, breaking apart with a wet pop and strides back to his bag without so much as a second glance back to Regina who is rather flustered by the fact he got her all riled up a few seconds ago only to literally leave her breathless and vacant of his proximity.

Scowling at his perfect bent over ass as he digs about his rucksack, Regina sits down on the laid out blanket in front of the fire she'd set out earlier. It's supposed to be dinner and sex. That's a typical Valentine's date as far as she is aware. So that is what she is expecting, granted she cooked, hopefully well enough for it to be edible, and is wearing some rather indulgently sexy lingerie beneath this dress, because it dinner doesn't work out, at least Robin can still eat something.

Her brow lifts high when he settles down beside her, a box in his hand and a far too heart fluttering dimpled smile. "Seeings how we are celebrating this lover's holiday, the custom is a gift for the woman, and I know you aren't usually disposed with them, I trust I won't be charred to a crisp for buying you a gift then yeah?" He passes the small box into her hands as she stares wide eyed at him.

"You bought me something?"

Robin grins, "Technically no."

"You _stole_ me something?" She coughs out a little indignantly. They aren't thieves, she wouldn't allow it. They make an honest life, sort of...the details aren't important, but the point is they promised no stealing.

He laughs, kisses her cheek, "Just open the damn gift Your Majesty."

She flips the wooden lid over, eyeing her lover up curiously as he watches the parchment paper slide away and her breath falters for a half second at the bestowment within.

"You made this?"

He nods as Regina lifts a small dark wooden carved rose from the box. It's beautiful. Light oak swirled between browner willow hues and nearly white maple strips, soft wood worked petals she swears feel almost real, a slim stem with two tiny leaves whittled underneath the flower head itself.

"I understand that roses are technically a symbol of love, but after a week they die." He shrugs,

"I wanted to give you something everlasting in thought." He smiles all shy, busses her lips chastely before sitting back and staring at the flames. The kiss was abrupt and short, and Regina is about to poke at him for it when she sees the difference in his eyes that avoid her gaze, the fiddling of his fingers in his lap and tapping of his boot against the floor. He's nervous. Nervous over the fact that they don't really do gifts, and love sentiments and whatnots. They just are them and are together. It's been a rather no fuss no muss (aside from a few incredibly heated arguments here and there, but he is stubborn and she boasts a hot temper), type relationship.

But this, seeing him chew on his bottom lip and breathe a little more jagged than normal, she understands it now. The reason behind this holiday. It's not about expensive diamonds, lucrative meals and a thousand other things. It's this. Everything in this moment with him, it has her eyes flooded with tears, her heart leaping out of her throat to waddle over to sit safely in his hands.

Sitting up on her knees, wooden rose still tucked into her palm, she turns his cheek to face her, "I love it. Thank you."

His grin pulls half way, and he nods, still a bit unsettled by this new territory they are in. "You're welcome." He grins, presses a kiss to her forehead as she slides beside him, head resting against his chest, fingers intertwining low on his abdomen.

"I didn't get you anything." Regina shrugs, scratching her nails over his forearm, "But I have to tell you something." Robin nods, waits as she summons up the courage to use the actual words caught in her throat. "I'm pregnant." She whispers quietly, holding her breath as she feels him still beneath her.

It takes only a half a second before his free hand slides up her back to curl about her stomach, searching for the tiny bump she knows is already beginning to show. They haven't talked about having children. She isn't even really sure he wants any. Though by the way he is with Roland now that they have found him, it's clear that he has a paternal side, though he may not admit it. But still, their own babies has never really been a topic of conversation.

"I'm going to be a father?" He breathes rather stunned as Regina sits up, shrugging her shoulders in answer, "Are you okay with that?"

He stares at her, drops his gaze down to her belly, lingers and then returns to her eyes, a beaming grin on his face like she has never seen. "I never thought I'd have this. A chance to be a father." It makes her go all puddly and squishy as he shakes his head with a chuckle, cupping her hand on her stomach.

She smiles, lands her lips on his abruptly, though he is quick to steady her, hands firm on her hips though his thumbs gently swipe along the tiny bump beneath her dress, over and over again until he asks for her to take it off, begs of it in a half muffled whisper against her collarbone. And well, she planned on dinner first, but the heat it already pulsing between her thighs and the prospect of getting to have Robin and then dessert just seems a bit too perfect.

She expects him to devour her right then and there as the dress fades away, leaving her in a black lace and silk set, but his eyes oddly don't hone in on her breasts like normal, no do his fingers tease along the line of her panty. Instead, he lifts her, rolls them gently till she is on her back, Robin's torso between her thighs and his eyes glued to the tiny little bump. Her heart beats thunderously as she feels him dip down, pressing a feather light kissed smile against her skin, a hair above below her belly button. "I'm going to be a dad. This is certainly a Valentine's Day to remember."

It's still a ridiculous holiday to her, but perhaps it won't be so exhausting to see everyone else in love around her, now that she has her own happily ever after.


	109. Burnt

**Burnt**

 _Regina self harming and Robin noticing - #28_

 _Set in the Missing Year_

She looks vacant today, lost in thought though her body is present. He notices the hollowness in her eyes that stare at nothing, a tense rigidity in her shoulders that can't be attributed to the Charmings or anyone else here badgering her about finding the Wicked Witch.

It's been happening more and more often, this slight change in her; there is less bite to the harsh remarks she makes, the typical scowl leveled towards everyone gone slack, disconnected in a way he can't quite put his thumb on, but it unsettles him nonetheless. Oddly more disconcerting is that no one but himself has seemed to notice or care just how detached the Queen has become.

She sits in the chair to his right, breathing so shallowly he wonders if any air is actually reaching her lungs, hasn't spoken a single word this entire meeting, just fidgets with the left sleeve of her steel blue velvet dress, relentlessly tugging down to her wrist. He tries to not stare, she doesn't need that from him, but his eyes continually glance down to her thumb rubbing small circles on her forearm. Self soothing. Or perhaps she is just restless today.

God knows he'd give pretty much anything to get out of this council meeting right now - as important as finding the Wicked Witch is - he finds these sessions gathered around a table rather dull. He just comes to see her in all honesty, hopes to catch her eyes, or by the God's, if he is lucky enough, to see her smile. It's a rare occasion these days, but still, a man can dream, and if listening to the Prince drone on for an hour gives Robin the time to etch her face into his mind, well, he's not going to refuse the opportunity.

Perhaps that is why he notices the fractional shift within her. He is well aware of the fact she knows he watches her, and where there was once hot tempered snapping threats that she'd blind him if he continued to gawk, it appears the simmering rage fueling her as all but been sapped out. There is no angry comments thrown his way anymore, hasn't been for weeks if he thinks about it. Her eyes just meet his for a split second, silent but charged, and then she turns away.

He's even taken to finding her at night, settling down on the grass beneath a tree beside her. The don't talk, at least not much. The quiet says enough he figures, he need not point out how soft her hands are linked within his own, nor the way his heart thumps harder when she leans into his shoulder. She knows how his affections for her grow everyday, won't put the words to it, or dare let her own feelings for him be spelt out, though he feels them anyway. The warmth of her body curling into his side in the chill of night, how she sinks into his arms, letting her breath puff out soft and smoothly when his lips meet her temple, the slight smile in her eyes when he comes around a corner.

Which makes the fact that she is recoiling further inward everyday all that much more concerning to Robin. She wasn't there last night. He hasn't seen her for three in a row now. While he won't pry, he is not her keeper, not seeing her does make the ache of worry for her wellbeing grow. But he won't push, will just sit here beside her, watching the trepidatious pattern of her fingers trail over and over again on her opposite arm.

Blessed is the time when David finally decides they are all _allowed_ to be done for today - they will reconvene tomorrow for another round of discussion that in Robin's opinion goes nowhere but in circles. Regardless, he is grateful to leave, bidding the table a warm afternoon as Regina stands to walk out ahead of him. It's the fraction of a second between saying his goodbyes and hearing Regina's tight pinched scream behind him.

Spinning on the spot, he sees her and Snow, the later with hands cupped around her mouth, spilling out a plethora of confused apologies Regina clearly pays no mind to. Her jaw is clenched tight, tears rimming her lashes as she clutches her forearm to her chest. Robin frowns at that. Snow is far too timid to actually hurt the Queen in any way, but Regina is clearly in pain. He hears her muffle out that she is fine, startled but fine, and he knows it's a blatant lie by the tremble in her voice. Before he can reach her, a swirl of purple smoke engulfs her body.

"I swear I barely touched her," Snow stammers out, but Robin is already walking past her, full stride ahead to Regina's hiding spot. Something is wrong, and he has too much to lose to not do something about it. Or at least try.

The garden is empty when he arrives, no sight of her, and he can feel a slight panic bubbling. She always comes here when things are getting out of control. No one but himself, his son, Granny and Regina know of this place - she told him as much. But her safe haven is vacant. It's quite possible there are a handful of these invisible courtyards she can hide within that Robin has no idea about. He debates where to go, where would she go? Figuring that her chambers is probably a safe bet, he turns on his heel with a heavy sigh, only to be met by a pair of dark walnut eyes.

Her name slides off his tongue in a whisper of relief, uncaring how potentially vulnerable it just made him sound in front of her. Her brow cocks as she questions why he is here, her arms crossed defensively around her stomach. Robin lets a breath go, takes a small step into her, hoping that she won't run, and he never lets her gaze go, holds it stronger as his fingers brush against her arm. He can feel her tense, the tightness flaring into the corners of her eyes as she shuffles just out of his reach, breaking eye contact with a despondent shake of her head and a muted _I'm fine_.

He doesn't move, tips his head to the side and waits, watching a myriad of emotion running across her face. He can sense her unease, the confusion and exhaustion that hugs her like a vice. She doesn't believe that someone would care for her like he does, it's a constant silent battle with them. And it unnerves her that he does this, will just wait quietly until she is ready to say something - and even if she decides against talking, he stays regardless.

"Honestly, Snow just startled me." She sighs, but he doesn't miss the way her thumb for the briefest of moments swipes over her forearm. Nodding, though unconvinced, he smiles softly, reaching for her hand silently before turning back to settle on the grass underneath the oak tree. Regina follows without hesitation, lets Robin sit first, his back against the tree before he gestures for her to settle between his thighs, a notion that stills her for a half second, but his eyes are kind and unwavering.

His hands help adjust her dress about their legs, brushing her hair over one shoulder so his lips can find the soft expanse of her skin. She relaxes into his touch, a steady hand on her stomach, grounding her with every breath that expands his chest behind her.

The air is crisp, a slight chill that promises the coming of winter, a snowfall she dreads but can do nothing to stop. There is nothing she can do about this entire situation. She's bone tired and falling deeper and deeper into a desolate spiral within her mind with the minutes that tick by.

The lull of Robin's heartbeat behind her is indescribably calming, drawing her in to lean further into his body, the warmth of his arms around her as her eyes flutter shut, her temple tipping to rest against his stubbled chin.

It's nice. Sitting like this with him.

He draws absent patterns on her abdomen, lets his fingers wander about her ribcage, dipping into the V of a hip joint before circling lazily back to rest under her breast. If nothing, it takes her mind off of everything for a few much needed minutes.

It relieves him seeing the infinitesimal way her shoulders relax, the tightness in her lips slowly easing with each gently drawn in breath she takes. He knows these moments don't come easy for her. He focuses on the feeling of her, the weight that presses back into him, a softness of velvet tucked tight around her curves - tries to not linger on the scent of her hair wisping around him - warm, rich and honey-like - nor does he let his mind rest too long on the merlot colour of her parted lips, the long lashes that cast a shadow over high cheekbones.

It almost feels tranquil being like this with her, putting the day on stand still for a few minutes of undisturbed quiet.

His fingers brush along the back of her hand, threading through her fingers four times before circling around to trace the skin on her wrist, holding his breath steady as she freezes, tensing as her eyes fall down to watch his hand draw up her sleeve, unhurried and gentle. She waits to hear his admonished tone berating her, some sort of disgust or repugnance like her mother used to spit out, but mostly she waits for him to leave, to move from this embrace and walk away from her.

What she doesn't expect is to feel his thumb stroking along the border of the burn mark, the reverence in his touch has her heart thumping heavily with every swipe across her damaged skin. It's angry - red and blistered from the self produced flame in her opposite hand two nights back. Beyond that though, it's ugly - a marring on her body in hopes of feeling something other than the loss of her son.

It didn't work, at least not in the way she hoped.

Robin dips to rest his chin in the junction of her neck, frowning down at the tight, swollen, weepy skin. It looks painful, perhaps a touch infected in her crease by her elbow. Surely she could have healed this, he can barely have a pinprick draw blood without her palm waving a smoke of magic over him, stitching a wound back together in simple seconds. A fact that has him anchoring her tighter to his chest.

"Looks painful."

Regina shrugs, bites down on her lip, firmly avoiding his gaze, opting to stare out into the sinking sun instead. She wishes it brought more long lasting pain - something so excruciating she could do nothing but focus on it instead of Henry. Robin's lips press against her neck, once, twice and a third time. It has a burning line of tears bubble in the backs of her eyes, a lump building in her throat as his fingers continue to trace the edges of the burnt skin.

Nobody has ever cared for her.

"Regina - you don't have to explain it to me if you don't wish to." He kisses into her shoulder, "And I know that it's not always easy to talk about the hard stuff, but this -" He places his palm over her burn, trying not to scowl at her wince, "- hurting yourself on purpose, it's not the right way to deal with anything."

She blows a hot breath out, doing something rather foreign and shrinking back into him, tucking herself small and vulnerable into his body. His arms encompass around her shoulders, knees tucking up on the outsides of her drawn up knees. Swallowing thickly, she leans into him, a tear falling before she can blink it away.

"I just -" Her voice trembles quietly, "I wanted to feel something, something other than the pain of missing my son." Her tears fall without abandon now, dripping heavily onto her dress. "You must think I'm ridiculous." She shifts away from him, from the proximity of his probing eyes and the feeling of his gentle hands. Robin watches her carefully as she extricates herself from his arms, the slight insecurity flashing across her face as her fingers fumble to pull down the sleeve of her dress.

He reaches for her hand, stilling the movement, "You're not ridiculous. You miss your son. Let me help you, Regina."

Her brow cinches, and he can see the walls starting to build, "Why would you?"

Sighing, Robin gently tugs her back down beside him, letting her have enough space between his knees and her own. Threading his fingers back through hers, he turns her palm back over, sliding up the velvet to reveal the burn once more. "Because I think if you didn't feel anything aside from missing Henry, you wouldn't let me be here with you every night."

"Perhaps I don't and you just stay anyway." She smirks, knowing damn well it's a lie, but seeing the grin deepen in his dimples is reward enough.

He smiles, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek, "Well, I am adorably persistent."

She laughs lightly at that, though it's cut short when his fingers graze across the burn. Perhaps she doesn't have to do this alone, depressing as it is, maybe there is something else besides the pain.

"It stings."

Robin hums, and Regina freezes when he leans down, a feather light kiss ghosted on the raw skin, his gaze flicking up to find hers watering once more at his gentle affection, at the safety he is giving her freely. "I'll stay, for how ever long you need."

She can feel the honesty radiating out of him, the underlying notion to his comment that sets her heart alight. Leaning in before he can move, her lips capture his own, for the very first time, soft and gentle. "Stay," she whispers against his mouth, his stubble brushing against her cheeks as he smiles into her kiss, beaming wider as they pull apart.

"As you wish, M'lady."

The burn will heal. She'll heal herself. Day by day. It won't be easy, a part of her heart will always be missing without Henry, but she will heal, and he will help her.

FIN.


	110. Similarities

**Similarities**

 ****Regina meeting DarkOQ's baby (with them alive) (#12) + Regina being with young Robyn (#70) + "And for the first time in a long time, I could imagine a future where I was happy" (#172)

She can't stop her foot from bouncing, jilting her entire body in tiny vibrations over and over again, can't stop her palms from perspiring however cold and clammy they may be, and it hasn't mattered how many deep breath cycles she's gone through. Every inhale shakes into her lungs, the exhale not faring much better. It's only four in the afternoon and she's gone through two glasses of merlot, hoping it would calm the skittering nerves, though she is fairly certain it's probably done the opposite.

It's been a week of twisted knots and sleepless nights since she agreed to this meeting, one she should have seen coming, not that it would have quelled the panic all that much. Tipping her head back to rest, it thunks a little harder than anticipated, and she winces, shakes her head dismally at the fact that emotional self control appears to be a foreign concept right now.

They were pregnant. Her other half was going to have a baby.

That was four years ago.

It's not that Regina meant time to slip by so quickly, but things had gotten intense in Storybrooke, her attention had been consumed by it. She wasn't avoiding them purposefully, she was just busy…and perhaps quietly evading them and their happy new life, all pregnant and married - alive and together. Thinking about that night, hearing those words, the cautious, almost melancholic look she'd been given, it still makes her heart race faster than breath can catch up.

They didn't guilt her for stepping away afterwards, however unintentional or conscious the choice was. On some level Regina is nearly certain her other half understands why there hasn't been a visit between them since. It would be like watching your own life play out in front of your eyes, but you're the bystander not allowed to partake in the happily ever after meant for you.

So they drifted apart, or away from each other, for some time.

But today she is supposed to meet _them_ , for the first time, with no place to run and hide, no excuse or sudden mayoral duty to flee to. She is going to stand here, in her house, and come face to face with two people she's silently almost terrified of.

Twins.

A boy and a girl who she knows nothing about, yet are like some sort of weird relatives too. Knowing of them sits heavily in her gut, seeing them will probably squeeze the breath out of her, yet in the same heart beat that panics her, there is a flicker of curiosity. What will they look like, who do they resemble, will she see _him_ in them? It's a thousand questions that swirl in her mind, and she stares out into the front yard, fiddling with the idea of downing another glass before they arrive.

Being half sloshed before five probably isn't the best first impression. Regina shrinks, head falling into her palm. They are just children. There is absolutely no reason for her to be acting this way. Except for the fact that she is about to see everything she was supposed to have.

A tug on her sleeve has her attention drawn away from the window and down into a pair of bright blue, anxiously puzzled eyes. "Are they here yet?" She bounces on her tiptoes, straining to see out the curtain, dark blonde braid swooping over a shoulder. "What's taking so long?"

Regina grins, though her heart battles to pulse a steady rhythm.

They'd asked to meet her, which floored Regina all together. But her split self had shrugged half heartedly, met Regina's gaze with sad brimming eyes and a soft, rather tentative truth about how she was there too. The entire time of meeting Robin for the first time, to a first kiss, the first heartbreak, finding him again, the deception of a pregnancy, promising to be there with him through the whole thing - technically it wasn't just Regina there, she'd been there as well.

So regardless of the fact that she has her own family, a part of her still wondered and wanted to meet the little girl. What was Regina supposed to do other than nod quietly and agree to it?

There is a sweet curiosity embedded in her DNA just like her father, stubborn to the core just like he was, but soft and calming inside and out, something that in moments like this, as much as she hates to admit it, Regina thrives off the contact with Bee. Somehow, watching blonde curls fly about her yard, bright blue eyes questioning everything she comes into contact with, the deep set dimples framing a toothy grin, reminds her that he might be gone, but she has a part of him still everyday.

For as much as she nearly begged her other half to not waste a minute, Regina has fallen absolutely besotted with Robin's daughter, quietly vowing between she and her lost love that his daughter will grow up with nothing less than pure happiness enveloping her every second of every day. She is nearly six now, growing up right before Regina's very eyes, and the same age as Roland was when their father died.

It's a shame she can't freeze time and just let Bee stay this small and blissfully unaware of darkness forever. Hoisting her niece up onto her hip, Regina feels her nose being budged side to side softly before Bee slumps down heavily into her chest and waits impatiently. It's rather funny to Regina, or ironic she supposes - she is the adult, and yet the child is far more brave.

Combing through her hair, she plucks out a few leaves twined into a messy braid. Someone has clearly been playing in the shrubs again, bug foraging more than likely. It's impossible to count the times Regina has walked into her kitchen or Bee's room and found a plethora of multi-legged, winged, spotted, hairy, slimy, little creatures inside jars. For the most part, it was oddly sweet, seeing Bee toss in handfuls of grass and crushed flowers into the glass containers, poking holes in the lids every so delicately, talking to the bugs as though they could understand. And if it made the little girl happy, Regina wasn't about to squash it - though then the spiders came, and well, a line had to be drawn somewhere.

"Does he look like him?"

Regina cocks a brow, having been lost in thought for a moment. "Sorry, baby, what did you say?"

Bee turns in her lap, little knees pressing into Regina's stomach, small dirt stained hands wiping a freckled nose, leaving behind a dark smudge, but her eyes swell in sudden uncertainty. "Does he look like my daddy?"

 _Oh._ Well, it's a fair question she supposes.

Bee has seen the storybook, but it paints Robin's face in smudged out water colours. It doesn't let her see the slope of his nose that matches her own, the square cut of his jaw, nor the softness of his dimpled smile. At one point Regina had dug out the only photo she has of the two of them, a day hidden in the hallways of Grannys, where second chances seemed far too easy to grab ahold of, and his lips had started to stain with the colour of her lipstick. Bee still has the photo, it's set up beside her bed so she can say goodnight to him.

And for what it's worth, Regina has tried to make sure she knows all about her father. Does her best to make some sort of tether between them everyday. Robin deserves it, and so does this little girl, regardless of the sledgehammer it takes to Regina's heart to talk about how they met, how they fell in love, and everything in between - she wants Bee to know it all, to feel like she has a connection to him.

Slowly, as her fingers unthread the unruly braid, disposing of a few twigs she finds here and there, Regina smiles thoughtfully, "I suppose he does. Though your daddy had lighter hair, and a few more laugh lines."

"What're laugh lines?"

"Well, they are like memories of the best times on someones face. Sort of like a story of every time they laughed so hard it etched into them. Your daddy had lots of happy memories."

Bee's brow narrows as she chews her bottom pink lip, "Like these lines?" Her fingers prod against the outside corner of Regina's eyes.

 _No,_ Regina thinks somberly to herself, those definitely aren't laugh lines that mar her face as age has begun to settle. Or perhaps not age but a lifetime of heartbreak. Surely as much as laughter permanently marks itself of the skin, so does pain and anguish. But it's a little much to divulge to a five year old, so Regina humours her with a half hearted chuckle and swings Bee around so that she can reform her braid.

"Do you think they will like me?" The question is so quiet, and far too vulnerable for Regina's liking. Maybe instead of fretting over herself, she can focus all these nerves toward ensuring that Bee is happy the entire time, "They'd be silly not too." She pecks a chubby cheek and spins as a knock on the door echoes around the house. They fall silent, bright blue eyes staring apprehensively up at Regina who swallows thickly, steels her nerves and does her best to smile encouragingly at her niece.

"Ready?"

Bee's nod is barely perceptible, and instead of their initial plan of letting Bee open the door, Regina feels the little girl curl into her arms, tucking her head underneath Regina's chin. She presses a hard kiss to the wild blonde braid that is already unfurling, and pads over towards the door, and this is it, there is no time to turn and run.

Swinging the door open, she's thankful that the first people she sees are, well, herself and Roland, both smiling brightly at her.

"Ro!" Bee nearly leaps from Regina's arms at the sight of her brother, and thankfully he is quick enough to catch her, spinning around as he tosses her into the air, laughing at the squeal that pipes out of her when she lands safely back in his arms. "Hey, Bumble-Bee." He nuzzles into her temple, and Regina's heart sets alight at the sight.

They are a family, the two of them. Brother and sister, years apart and nearly inseparable at the best of times. They'd found him, about a year into being in the other realm, and it took a bit of explaining and patience but eventually Regina had Roland back in her arms once a month. He's so big now, nearly fourteen and looks more and more like Robin to her everyday, save for the dark curls and chocolate brown eyes. It's a lot in the way they are, she supposes, how Roland talks, his mannerisms, the soft warmth that pulses from every pore. He is certainly his father's son, and to say she is thankful that he wanted to come back and see her after Robin died, well she will never be able to put words to it.

Bee attached herself to Roland from the start, and he to her. And most days they spend together Regina finds herself praying that Robin can see them together, playing in the yard, reading books about him, sleeping soundly side by side still to this day, both on their backs, one arm slung across chest, and right legs stuck out at awkward angles, twins in their own right, little bodies that match their father's sleeping habit. She loves that. That they have so much of him inside themselves.

It makes life a bit easier, a bit less dark and dreary.

With Bee in his arms, Roland steps in, presses a kiss to Regina's cheek, followed by a hard hug and, "I've missed you!"

She wraps her arms around them, both of Robin's children, and breathes easily for a second. "Me too. It's been forever."

"Well it's been three weeks." He chuckles, "But I get it, I actually wanted to ask you something, but it can wait till later." Pink tinges his cheeks as he shrugs his shoulders, oddly shy with a dimpled hopeful grin squished against Bee's face.

Her brow arches, but Roland is quick to side step as her other half comes into view, squeezing her arms around Regina, "It's good to see you."

Regina nods, feels her lips pull apart into a light smile. She looks happy, less burdened. it suits her. "You, too. Where's Robin?"

As if on cue, he is walking up the pathway, and if she'd been watching, Regina would have seen her other half beam brighter than the sun at her family, but her gaze widens, leaving her speechless and unable to do anything but stare at _them_.

A little boy squeezing his Papa's hand tight, eyeing Regina up nervously, all dark molten chocolate eyes half hidden behind a sweeping of hickory silk hair. He looks just like her, Regina and his mother she supposes.

For a moment Regina is so wrapped up in his brown button eyes that she nearly forgets that there are two of them. Flicking her gaze up, she settles on a little girl, her face tucked into Robin's neck, long, lightly waved matching coloured hair spiraling down her back, but beneath it, Regina see's the cerulean hue of her eyes. She has Robin's eyes.

Standing stock still as Robin slows, she barely recognizes the fact that her other half has scooped up her boy, pressing a wet kiss to his cheek with a smile before turning back, still beaming at her son as her fingers link with Robin's.

"Regina, this is Ravenna and Reid."

She's gobsmacked. Sure she knew about them, but to see them, tangible and real in front of her, of all the thoughts she figured would stream around her mind in this moment, the one she hadn't expected to burn into the forefront, is just that, well - _they are beautiful._

Small and curious as they stare back at her. And it has to be confusing for them, too. She looks just like their own mother. The puzzlement is obvious in Reid's eyes that narrow, nose slightly scrunched as he scans her face silently, trying to decipher if she is friend or foe. She knows that look - he is a Mills down to the core sizing her up in a way Regina can't help but find absolutely adorable.

Tucking a lock of hair being her ear, she exhales a quiet breath and moves a fraction closer. "It's nice to meet you, Reid."

She smiles softly, even as the little boy shrinks slightly into his mother's long curls, who smirks, burrows her face into his cheek with a whispered, "It's okay, say hi."

He pouts for a half second, sending a side glare to his mother before muffling out a muted, "Hi," towards Regina, uncertain about this entire situation clearly, but his eyes never leave hers. Regina beams wetly, the tears beginning to flush along her lashes. She wipes away the tears before the can fall, feeling the Queen's hand gently squeeze her forearm. Reid leans up at that, stares at Regina's face for a long moment with a frown. "Why are you sad?"

 _Inquisitive little man._

She sniffs, shakes her head with a touch of longing towards the family in front of her. "I am just really happy to finally meet you that's all." She half lies, because it's true. She is happy...to a strange degree. This was the entire point of sending her other half off to the realm where her own soulmate was. They were supposed to get a happily ever after and for that Regina is honestly grateful, but it still stings at the prospect of what she herself could have had.

Righting herself, she turns to Roland and Bee, whose eyes are staring directly at Robin, utterly stunned at the man. "Bee, come here." Regina extends her arms, scooping the girl up into her chest, "This is your...aunt." She faces her doppleganger suddenly aware that she isn't exactly sure what to call her, they share a name and it would be far too confusing for any child to understand why they are, in all essence, the same person. But it appears her other half is far more prepared for this as she smiles, runs a soft hand over Bee's cheek, "Hi, baby girl, I'm Nina. What's your name?"

"Bee."

"That's a beautiful name." The Queen toys with Bee's braid, thumbing it gently. "You are stunning."

"What's that mean?"

"It's something your daddy used to say, it means really, really pretty."

"You knew my daddy?"

Regina stills for a second, watching how the Queen's eyes soften in a memory. "I did." Her gaze flicks over to Robin, who stands with Ravenna still hidden in his arms, but he gives her a small reassuring smile. "He was pretty great."

They walk inside the mansion and settle in the living room. Reid situated beside Regina on the floor, not quite close enough to touch, but a little less reserved about being near her. She falls into conversation with her doppleganger about their life, what's been going on in the other realm, where they live, how things are going. It seems like life has treated them quite nicely now that they have moved into a cottage in the forest.

Bee has taken up residence in the Queen's lap, playing with the long curls that drape over her shoulders, every now and then interrupting to ask a question about her dad which the Queen is far too happy to answer with a sweet smile. It hasn't escaped Regina, however, that Bee is avoiding Robin. A person she's been dying to meet. He has simply sat beside the Queen, Ravenna leaning against him, her eyes trained on Regina. She is a beautiful little girl. All long dark hair, pink lips and bright blue eyes. Clearly between the twins she is much more shy than her brother.

"Do you have magic like my mom?"

Regina looks down to see Reid having inched closer, nearly brushing his knees against hers. Turning her palm over, Regina lets a flurry of bubbles erupt, popping around the little boys face as he laughs shyly, wrinkling his nose at the sparkles that rain down into his lap. She notices above his head Ravenna's eyes enthralled by the display, though she still stays stock still in her father's lap.

"Can you do it again?" Reid asks, sitting straight up on his knees, and Regina tries to not let her heart stutter at the feeling of his tiny hands on her forearm. She lets her magic burst once more, sending a hundred bubbles into the sky that both Bee and Reid are quick to race around popping, giggling at the rainbow showers colouring the sky. A single bubble, however, floats quietly over to Ravenna, bobs a few times before her eyes before landing softly in her lap. She watches as a little finger pokes the sphere, the happy smile that pulls against her lips, as she rolls with a light laugh into Robin's chest.

"She seems happy." The Queen comments quietly to Regina, "And looks a lot like your Robin." Regina grins at the blonde messy braid that flies about. "I think she is. We've tried to make sure she's grown up knowing about her dad. But she has a lot of questions." She shrugs, waves another plethora of bubbles to keep them occupied. Ravenna slipped out of Robin's arms at some point, joining the other two tiny bodies in their popping escapade, leaving Robin to lean over his wife's shoulder, pressing a quick kiss to her temple.

She knows it's meant only as a gesture of affection toward his love, but the sight makes Regina ache, to the point she feels a lump growing in her throat. They are happy. She has to remember that. Sending her other half to find him was the right thing to do, regardless of her own situation. It's suddenly hot, too hot, making it hard for her to breathe and the last thing she wants is to have a meltdown right now. "I'm just going to grab some water, can I get you both something?"

"Water is fine." Robin nods, but the Queen cocks a brow at Regina - she knows and it takes everything in Regina to not let the tears fall. Not now. Standing, she excuses herself and makes quick haste into the kitchen. Her fingers gripping along the edge of the sink as she tries desperately to steady herself.

 _Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out._

She repeats it over and over again, brushing her hair from her eyes and begging her knees to hold her up. A pair of arms suddenly wrap around her waist, small arms, and a forehead pressing between her shoulder blades. _Roland._ She sniffs hard, wiping away any residual tears, before she turns to find him sadly looking up at her. Running a hand through his curls, she shakes her head, mumbling a quiet apology into his hair as she lets him hug her in tight.

"You don't have to be sorry. It's weird for me, too." He confesses quietly into her chest, sighing heavily before pulling away. "I see them all the time and I get to see you every month, but it's not really the same."

"I know. I'm sorry."

He smiles wetly, wipes his nose on the back of his palm, "I want to stay here. Even just for the summer."

Regina freezes. He...he wants to stay...here...with her. Her heart thunders in against her ribs. "Y-you d-do?" Her voice trembles. Shakes and catches in her throat when he nods, muffles out a shy, " _If you're okay with that?"_ which is the most ridiculous thing he could ever ask her. Of course he can stay. He has a room in her house, clothes, friends, and a life here, too. He could stay forever if he wanted to.

"I'd love that."

"Yeah?" His eyes beam, "It's just, I know they try. But he's not my dad, at least not the dad I remember. But here..." He motions around the kitchen, before landing his gaze back on her, "Being around you, it just feels more like home, where he is. Ya know?"

She promised she wouldn't cry, but apparently that rule holds no ground on her other boy asking to live with her. So the tears flood down as she cups his cheek, pressing a hard kiss to his forehead before wrapping her arms tight around his shoulders, hugging him fiercely.

"Come on. They are probably wondering why water is taking so long." He grins, all dimpled and perfect. Regina chuckles, wipes her eyes once more and follows him back into the living room, glasses in tow only to find Bee squarely situated in Robin's lap on the carpet, both smiling the exact same smile at one another. It makes her heart clench, seeing Bee finally getting to meet some part of her father.

It's good. Weird and strange, but good.

Roland settles beside the Queen and Reid, leaving Regina to take up space behind him on the couch. Beside her, she feels the cushions sink at the intrusion of a small body, her eyes peering down to find Ravenna wriggling her way slowly beside her. It's all big, beautiful, sparkly blue eyes, a strand of chocolate curl hanging between them before a small hand tugs it behind her ear.

Regina watches as Ravenna reaches out to grab her hand, turning it over palm face up, before laying her own hand over top. She smiles at the little girls studious scowl, but probably more so at the slight pulse of magic that sparks between their skin. Ravenna huffs out a breath and lets her palm slide, revealing a tiny pink and white striped flower twirling in Regina's hand.

"Baby, that's incredible." The Queen dazzles in amazement beside Regina's thighs, tears flushing into her eyes at the sight of her daughters first magical burst. Stunned, Regina lets out a half sobbed chuckle, running her fingers through Ravenna's hair as her niece smiles triumphantly, her eyes bluer than the ocean, just like Robin's, _her_ Robin's.

It's not what she thought this day was going to be like but for the first time in a long time, Regina finds herself imagining a future where she could be happy.

FIN.


	111. Skin

OQPromptParty - Robin likes to kiss exposed parts of the EQ - #115

 ** _Missing Year_**

It's the bloody dresses she wears.

The low cut ones down her back, that dip into the curve of her spine, giving a peek-a-boo show to those two indents just above her ass. The velvet ones that cling to her skin in a way his hands itch to rip off and replace. It's the corsets that push her magnificent assets up for his eyes to devour hungrily.

It's all of it.

Every single damn one that has his blood pumping furiously everytime she waltzes by, as though unaffected by her clothing choice like he is.

He's seen what's under those dresses, too. Tasted and touched every last bare inch of her. From the olive cream buttered skin at the tip of her toes to the crown of her head. Back to front, inside and out. He knows how she feels. Warm, soft, full and wet. It's all he can think about these days. The feeling of her all wrapped around him. Grinding incessantly in the chase for her pleasure, moaning his name huskily in his ear, asking for more on top of more on top of even more. He'd give her the sky, the moon, sun and stars if she asked for it. Anything she desires, he will find a way to acquire it.

And she knows it.

He knows she knows it.

The way her lips coyly grin over a goblet of wine, though her eyes don't dare move to catch his heated gaze.

It's on purpose.

How heavily she swallows. The peaking of a tongue swiping away a dribble of red succulence that threatens to stain her skin. Even the breath she takes — long, drawn in, painfully measured, one that has her breasts rising slowly, perking up devilishly for his silent perusal.

She likes to tease and toy with him, with his insatiable desire for her.

It provides her some sort of power over him, though perhaps he gives his submission willingly, devoutly — and more importantly, only to her.

So it's to no surprise that when she strides in, clad in a red, sequined gown that hugs her in a way sin paints itself all over a sinner, that he feels his pulse thump in his throat.

Regretfully he can't see the exposed skin of her back, a dark amethyst cloak framed in a merlot collar hides the four beauty marks along the curve of her shoulder blade from his eyes, but the front... the front is something he could spend hours drinking in.

It's crimson red, adorned with diamonds that curve along the swell of her chest, dipping low enough down he can spot the tiny heather brown mole that rests between her breasts. He's licked that mark. Buried his face in that exact spot, something he'd much like to do right now. But they are stuck in another one of these ridiculous meetings so his rather indecent thoughts that run rampant through his mind and straight to his nether regions will just have to wait.

And wait. Slow, torturous minutes that drag by slower than Little John trying to run, and Robin is beginning to lose his patience with every slight sigh that escapes her lips, boredom painted across her face. Her pretty fucking face. One that he'd much rather see from between her thighs, listening to those breathy sounds she makes, the cinch in her brow and tug of her fingers through his hair, demanding him to keep going.

His cock twitches at the thought.

Adjusting himself discreetly under the table, he puffs out a groan as Charming starts another round of babbling nonsense about things Robin could honestly care less about. More so when he sees a slice of creamy thigh peek out from beneath a rather extensive slit he's not sure how he missed. Probably because he was a bit too focused on her breasts earlier, but he's more than appreciative for the new exposure of thighs that should be wrapped around his waist instead.

Another southern pulse flushes hot in his groin. Unfortunately, his staring hasn't gone unnoticed by her he realizes as she smirks to no one, but her fingers trail along the hem of her cloak, pulling it gently to the side to pool beside her hip, revealing more of that meaty thigh he'd give his right hand to bite down on.

She likes it when he nips at her body, laves the markings with a wet tongue after. It makes her shiver deliciously underneath him, or above him, in front of him, whatever the predicament may be, he loves those little trembles.

Her legs cross, uncross, and then back again to the other side so her right foot dangles over her left ankle. They are staggering tall, her heels. Could easily puncture through skin should she decide to crush someone beneath her with a meer step. A small, black strap wraps and buckles around her ankle, and Robin nearly groans. Not four nights back those exact heels were draped over his bare shoulders as he rucked into her, over and over, slipping and digging almost painfully into his back.

He knew she was a tease, loves it about her, but this is just downright ruthless of her. To wear such things when he can't touch her, when he can't feel or taste her - at least not without scandalizing the entire castle. Though he's growing more impatient and less concerned with defaming this council table with a crowd around him. Toss 'em all to hell for all he cares, her dress is held up by a tiny burgundy strap, one that his teeth could ever so easily slide off.

Behind them a crash echoes through the hall, David (the mighty courageous prince he is) draws his sword, a valiant and completely ridiculous action that has Robin snickering quietly. The guy is nice enough but a bit pompous at times. All charge and no real thought. The dwarves follow like good little soldiers, the wolf armed with a crossbow behind them, leaving just himself, the princess, and his Queen whose yet to move a muscle.

"Regina, shouldn't we go help?"

"By all means, Snow, waddle your way over there."

The princess scoffs and runs a hand over her rather pregnant belly. She levels Regina with a glare, one the Queen apparently caves to, which is odd. Robin tries to not stare as she bends over the table, gripping the arms of the chair, her breasts of full display for him for a half lingering second before she stands, her brow cocking high at him.

"Shall we go rescue the rabble, thief?"

Her grin says it all. The resounding crash a few moments ago was nothing but the play of her magical fingers. He should probably tell her he loves her, again, for the hundredth time. She's given them a distraction, an escape from having their ears talked off any longer.

Slinging his bow across his back, he bows dramatically at her passing smile, and follows the sway of her hips through the doors and clearly to the right, away from the crowd and towards the stairs. He's consumed in a cloud of purple before his hands can tug her cloak free.

By the time the smoke clears, he's in her chambers, standing dumbly as the offensive garment she'd been wearing earlier hiding the rest of her body from his gaze is graciously falling to the floor. An answered prayer.

She cocks her head over her shoulder, eyeing him up devilishly with a bitten back grin.

He is supposed to move. But it's all bare and exposed down to the base of her spine. All delectable, warm, soft skin standing there, waiting for his hands to devour. His rather sweaty, tingling palms clenched at his sides.

"Do you like the dress?" She smiles coyly, her fingers running over her shoulder, pulling the long curls of hair to the other side as she turns. "It's a bit tight." Her palm runs over her stomach, over the diamonds that curve around her hip. "Don't you think?"

He hears her hum thoughtfully, toying with a gem between her breasts, and all he can do is stand there, staring at her like an utter fool, a besotted one in love, but still a fool nonetheless. Her sigh hits him square in his cock as she fans a hand over her neck, moaning about how it's so damn hot in this room, how she desperately needs to get out of this dress.

That spurs him into action. There isn't going to be a chance in hell that she is taking that sinful thing off without him touching her in it first. Her laugh is muffled against his mouth as he crashes into her, a low grown in her throat as his hands greedily roam over bare skin, squeezing and palming everything he can.

"Lay down."

Her eyes heat as his demanding request, a peek of tongue coming out to swipe along her kiss bruised lower lip. His fingers never relinquish their touch on her body as she steps backward, slowly until her knees hit the end of the mattress and she sinks down. His pulse thumps hard in his heart, harder lower down at the look she gives him, seated below him as he still stands, the grin that parts at his shiver as her nails drag over his belly, running dangerously along the waistline of his pants.

She goes to lean back, but his hand darts out to grab her elbow, halting her descent. Her eyebrow arches high in slight confusion.

"Lay down on your stomach."

"Say please."

He blows out a laugh and shakes his head. She will be the damn death of him. His palm coasts up the arch of her neck, sliding slowly up till his thumb can swipe along her lips. He damn near loses all this momentary control when her teeth nip at the pad of his finger, the warm wetness of her tongue sucking his digit into her mouth for a fractional second before letting it pop out. He'd very much like something else to be in her mouth, will beg for it if he has to, but first - first he has to eat her alive in this gown.

"Please."

"Now was that so hard?" she grins up at him wolfishly, giving his thumb one last nip.

He tugs his shirt off as she slides up the bed, the slit in the dress opening dangerously for a half moment before she does as he asked and rolls onto her front, pulling a pillow to lay on and letting her eyes flutter close, willing and ready for his attention. His gaze roams her body, his hand following quick suit as he swings a leg over her thighs, sitting squarely below the round backside his hands squeeze ever so gratefully.

His thumbs dip into the dimples in her back, rubbing slow, methodical circles, reveling in the long, drawn out breaths she lets go. He grins as her hips wiggle slightly as his palms travel to her ribs, gripping and smoothing over her skin. There is a row of four beauty marks below her shoulder blade, a personal favorite find of Robin's. Bending down he adorns the marks with his lips, licking a wet line from bottom to top, smiling at the hitch in Regina's breathing, the light moan that catches as he nips at her spine.

He kisses his way up to the nape of her neck, sucking at the pulse point behind her jaw, involuntary grinding himself into her backside, desperate to find some relief for his ever hardening self. Her whimper has him dropping his brow to her back, the roll of her hips beneath him making his head spin deliciously. But he wants to give her the attention she deserves before he buries himself in her. Dreadfully, he pulls his lower half away from her ass, scooting down the bed to line her spine with a row of wet kisses until he reaches the row of diamonds at the base.

"Robin."

Her voice is all breathy, tight and needy as she lifts herself up onto her elbows, craning her head around to catch his heated gaze.

He knows she likes to tease him. But the words she husks out, a trembled whisper to the fact she apparently isn't wearing anything underneath the dress, completely bare, naked, wet and exposed, has Robin's cock throbbing painfully.

His palm lands with a hard smack against her ass, resulting in a wanting hiss puffing from Regina, before he grabs her hips and rolls her over without preamble or warning. The action has her dress tangled high around her thighs, the slit curling and bunching up at the junction of her pelvis.

She wears these dresses because she likes how he looks at her in them, the way he is desperate to touch and kiss every last inch of exposed skin he possibly can. Perhaps her most favorite, however, is the unexposed places he devours, a promise he makes good on right now as his palms ghost up her legs, parting them enough so he can bend down, ducking underneath the red velvet before she can ask him for anything.

Her head hits the pillow, a breathless moan slipping free at the feeling of his tongue and her last thought is of what dress she will wear tomorrow for him, only for him, always for him.

FIN.


	112. Unspoken Love

**UNSPOKEN**

Dark!OQ first kiss (1) & "We have to be quick" (76) & "This can never happen again" (94) & Queenie and Locksley bring Robin back for Regina (193)

It's dark and they shouldn't be here. He should have held his ground firmly over his explicit non-desire to come to this end of town. It's dangerous, filled with angry drunks, violent thieves, and seedy men whose eyes linger far too long on the curves of her body. He is no stranger to this place, has never been opposed to being a customer of these parts before.

But that was before her, before she was here with him. They may not be together, not in that sense, their lips have never touched, hands have never gone further than a helping hand, or a gentle touch to a hip or chest. He isn't sure what they are, but he knows his heart beats faster when she is around, and she blushes a dark rouge when he smiles at her. They are something, not admitting to it, but they both know what lies within unspoken words.

She needs no protection, no knight in shining armour to sweep her off her feet. He'd venture if such a man tried he'd be spitted on a burning pike before dawn rose. Yet still the hairs on the back of his neck stand rigid as he follows the light swishing of her cape along cobblestone paths, shadowed by dimly lit lanterns. It's all he can see of her face, in fact, the shadows cast upon her cheeks by long lashes and a thick, hooded cloak. On occasion, when she turns to see if he is still there, he catches a glimpse of burgundy red lips, a smirk along olive skin and then it's gone. There are few women in this place who look like her, who could even be bold enough to say they are of equal beauty to the forgotten queen, and he knows that the men who sit in the alleyways and among ale and bourbon soaked tables notice her, too.

Which is why they shouldn't be here. He has no issue striking a man down for simply looking at her the wrong way, with indecency in their eyes, but there is a difference between single combat and facing multiple men. She could defend herself, he has no doubt, though that is not the point. They may not be together in that way, but something within him hardens vengefully at the idea of being parted from her.

She insisted. Demanded it, set a raging fire in her eyes he could not douse though he tried. "You are not my keeper, Locksley." She'd spat indignantly over the idea he would tell her she could not go where she pleased. Anger rose in him. A burning itch under his skin at her tempered defiance that perhaps this once, he was right about something. He's lived in this forest his entire life, and damned as she may be in her stubbornness, he knows more than she does about where the dangers lie within. And this place has threats written all over it, she is just too blind to see it.

Or perhaps she does and has decided to not admit it for her heels slow to a stand still until his chest presses up against her back, and he feels her sink a touch into the arm that wraps around her waist. "We have to be quick," she breathes, clutching a leather fist to her stomach. "In and out before he notices we are here." He can hear the tremor in her voice, slight as it may be, it's there.

He doesn't like it. If she is afraid they have damn good reason to run the other direction. "This is foolish. We should leave." He growls softly into her ear, mentally cementing to memory the fact that her hair smells like rich amber right now; it is no time to be thinking of such things when he can feel her pulse quicken at the sound of a far door slamming shut. She shakes her head, still distressingly emphatic that they go through with this plan. He gets it, but surely there has to be another avenue they can go about it. When he tries to turn her, her body fights back like a stone, so he moves in front of her instead, paying no mind to the glower she levels him with, holding her shoulders square to his chest.

"Regina, this is a bad idea."

"If you are scared, run home. I don't need you."

He boils in his gut at her sneer. Wants to grab her by the hand and shake her until she sees that this is a suicide mission, and while he is no stranger to a bit of hazardous adventure every now and then, he'd still like to see tomorrow's sunrise, preferably with her beside him. Scowling, she tries to peer around his shoulders, down the blackened street to where the soft pulse of purple smoke escapes beneath a door. A door he'd very much like to not enter.

"I will not leave you here, but—"

"No. There is no _but_. You want to stay, then stay out of my way. You want to leave, then go now." He knows she is trying to be sharp in her stinging tone, but he has been with her long enough to know that it's her eyes that give away what she feels. And they stare at him, long and hard, watering slightly along the lower lashes. She is afraid… to admit she is scared, to admit that she doesn't want him to leave, and he knows she will not ask it of him. There are walls built around her that have been there for decades. She will not beg, nor make any acknowledgment towards what resides below the steel mask she wears.

"Fine, but I go in first."

Her brow narrows, that isn't the plan. He is the thief, she the distraction. The distraction who is about to walk into a deadly skeleton's cage without a key to escape with. She will argue. He knows she will. It's their nature to be combative, and yet the more time they are together, the more he begins to realize that beneath the angry words and hot spitting barbs thrown back and forth, the majority of their arguments are over who will take an arrow through the chest for the other first, who will step into danger so the other is safe. And regardless of if they say it aloud, they both know the truth of it.

He sees the protest on her lips, the way her gaze hardens, hiding the heavy swallow she takes. "Tha—" His finger silences her as he presses it to her mouth, taking a rather wild leap of faith that she will not burn him to the ground for it. For a moment neither move, her dark eyes trained on his, thunderous and stunned that he would dare. But she doesn't remove his finger, not with a violent swipe she would have thought initially. Instead her eyes close, chin dipping down, swiveling to the side so that his palm rest on her cheek instead, and she inhales heavy and hard, uncaring that he has stepped into her personal space, with a hand on her low back.

Fate gave him a stubborn soulmate, though he is no withering picnic either most days. But still, it is moments like this, where she allows him to hold her for a breath of time, close and calm, that he understands why they are tethered to one another. He cannot explain it, it's just a feeling at the base of his spine, one that winds its way through every vertebrae, around his ribs and into his heart.

"I understand why, but I can't let you walk in there whilst I hide among the shadows." He breathes against her forehead, "Please do not make me watch you do that." She sighs, runs a hand over his chest, lingering on his pulse with what he would think to be impossible, but it looks like a tear slipping silently down her cheek.

"You'd be asking me to potentially watch you die all over again."

He frowns, not at the fact he's never heard her voice so soft and quiet, but the shake that follows.

"I will not live through that again."

Her eyes don't meet his own as she pushes him lightly aside, righting her cloak about her neck and striding off once more, turning back only for a moment to see if he is behind her once more. It's a reckless, stupid plan, but he follows anyway. Into the darkness where a man who can speak to the dead resides, hidden in purple velvet, the smell of burning wax, and where the living seldom walk out of. He watches from the shadows as she knocks three times, lowering her hood as the door cracks open. His heart pounds heavily as she smiles, taking the long extended fingers in front of her into her grasp and stepping inside, but not without flicking her gaze to him one last time, dark brown eyes swimming with emotions her voice doesn't lend a hand too.

Inhaling sharply as the door closes with a thud, he slinks around the back, eyeing for a silent way inside. He knows what he is looking for. They've spoken about it for nights on end. A window above has him scaling quietly, dropping into a dark room without a sound save for the muffling voices below his feet. Time isn't a friend in this situation — this place feeds off the heart beats of the living. He can feel it. The way invisible strings begin to loop around his neck, slowly, tighter and tighter, sealing off his ability to breath.

He hears her, feels a pulse of magic seep across the floorboards under his feet, and this is their only chance. He follows the small gold thread that weaves through the room, she told him it would be there, at the end of the rope. He just can't get caught whilst following it. But the air here is thick, and his eyes are starting to burn. It stops, loops and coils around a knob on a drawer and he scrambles towards it, drawing it open as slow as possible lest there be something that jumps out.

It's in a black satchel, the shimmering rope slinks around it and fades. He has it. Tucks it safely into his breast pocket and moves back to the window ready to climb out and breathe in a gulp of fresh air. But the room shudders beneath him. Quakes and flickers in the barely there light. Something is wrong. He cannot hear her voice anymore, and she promised she would not go quiet on him. Swallowing down around his pounding heart, he pads across the room, barely breathing with every step he takes, and he will kill the man if she is not alive.

He moves a dark velvet curtain aside with the tip of his arrowhead, hawk-eyed, scanning the room where she should be. It's dark. Black even. To the point where he isn't actually certain if he can see in front of his boots as he steps inside the room. It's something he's never experienced before. It's almost as if the room has stolen all the light, swallowed it whole until nothing but opaqueness is left behind. Magic. It's blinding him to his surroundings. Taking away one of his senses and leaving him sightless, like sitting prey. They need to get out of here.

Adjusting slightly as he walks blindly, he listens for her, for anything really, something to guide him. She promised she wouldn't go quiet on him, that she would keep talking, keep making some noise so he knew the entire time she was alive. But all he has in his ears is silence. The room shivers with a pulse of magic he can feel, creaks and roars for a moment before going dead. There is no sound. No sight. No nothing. Just his fingers still drawn on the bow, heart hammering in his chest.

It didn't work.

She'd be talking, or making some sort of noise, telling him she was okay. Silence means only one thing. Bile rises in his throat and burns viciously. This was a stupid plan. He knew it and now he's lost her. His pulse pounds furiously in his ears, how could he have been so stupid to let her walk in there alone. It was reckless to leave her, stubborn as she was in demanding that be the case.

"Come on!"

His hand is latched onto before he realizes she is in front of him, tugging hard towards the back entrance, damn near dragging him out of the house that rattles and groans suddenly, cracking and splitting as beams and dust begin to fall around them. He can hear her coughing, though she doesn't slow, and he feels the slight burning of skin grow on the back of his neck, hotter than fire, and smelling like burnt flesh. His eyes turn a half second, only to see a wave of electric green chasing them both, spitting white torrents and flames at their heels. She does nothing, just holds his hand and dodges around the crumbling house.

"Hold onto me." He hears her, barely amongst the thunder behind them, but he feels her fingers grip tighter. She pulls his arm, hard, slamming his back into her chest, and the last thing he sees before a cloud of purple surrounds them is a spire of electricity rocketing into the sky.

His back hits soft grass and fresh, clean air, and he breathes heavily, sending up a silent thanks for his sight and hearing once more. She is beside him, coughing so hard he thinks her ribs may snap.

"Di-did yo-u get it?"

He'd have thought perhaps she'd ask if he was alright first, or at least allow him to ask her the same thing, having just torched the dead magician's home to the ground and all. Scowling at her back, he tosses the satchel beside her, letting it land with a gentle thump. "Better be bloody well worth it." He growls, uncaring at the cocked brow she gives him in response.

"You didn't have to be there."

"I'm aware," he seethes, running a hand through his hair, demanding himself to not erupt at her for what she just did to him.

She turns, tempered and irritated with his tone, "So why are you being so petulant? It was your choice." From the corner of his gaze he sees her stand, brushing off her cloak absentmindedly with a roll of her eyes. She truly has no idea. "Are you done being angry with me? Can we go?" She sighs hotly with a lick of her lips, staring down at him, though he avoids her entirely, a deep set scowl on his brow. He looks genuinely angry, or perhaps not angry but hurt. Why, she has no idea; aside from a few bumps and bruises they both left a rather precarious situation unscathed.

"Fine, you can sit here and stew for whatever reason, I'm leaving." She turns on her heels, stachel in hand.

"You went quiet on me," he mutters in a hushed and defeated tone behind her. She stills, frowns, and eyes him puzzledly. And he just looks at her, as though she has just stabbed in him the heart without a second thought. "The one thing I asked was for you to not go silent." He stands, shakes his head dejectedly, "You went quiet. I thought you were dead." She sees the way his jaw tenses with the words, the tremble in his eyes that gape at her. "And you don't seem to care." With a shrug, he walks past her, unable to meet the stunned gaze of brown eyes as the pained fury boils within him.

He gets it. They are the same person, it's why they are tethered to one another like this. But regardless of how much she may say she does not need him, what she fails to realize is that he finds himself needing her, wanting her, being afraid of losing her. He cannot force her to feel anything for him. Hasn't even put a name to what he feels himself. For a woman he hasn't even kissed yet, there is far too much emotion within him. And for right now, he is tired and would just like to go home.

"Robin."

He does not stop.

"Robin, wait!"

He shakes his head, waves her off, "I'm done, Regina."

Her hand clutches his, "Dammit Robin. Stop for a second." It's the wetness in her voice that stills his feet. She does not cry. He has never seen her cry save for her son's birthday. But her eyes are filled with tears, a thick lining threatening to spill over as her breath shakes out through a bitten lip.

She swallows thickly, "I promised I wouldn't go quiet on you."

"Then why did you?"

"I had to."

He huffs, scowls into the night sky, "Regina, I—"

"He knew I wasn't alone." She breaks his words, "He knew that's why I was talking so much, because you were there." A tear slips down her cheek, with a hard sniff she explains, "I went quiet because I was afraid he'd find you. I'm sorry."

Expecting to feel angry towards her for breaking their promise, he is caught staring dumbly down at her instead. They need to stop this. Putting their own lives in jeopardy for the other's safety without even talking about it. She wants to protect him just a fiercely. He cannot fault her for it when he does the same thing.

Thumbing a curl away from her eyes, it crosses his mind that they both just about died, he nearly lost her and it would be a horrible fate to know that he hadn't yet kissed her. That because they are both stubborn about being vulnerable with the other, that this may have slipped right through his hands.

Exhaling slowly, he grins at her confusion over his sudden softness, dips his chin down and captures her lips for the first time. Swallows the light, breathy stunned noise she makes and holds her tight to his chest.

It feels nothing like he expected kissing her to feel like.

There is a gentility in the way she presses back into him, a tenderness in the hand that curls around his neck. Where he thought it would be all dominance and heat, it's light, like breathing in fresh, crisp air.

She is soft, softer than he'd considered she'd ever be. Tastes of warm honey as her mouth parts, sucks and nips against his own. She is smiling. He can feel it, chases it with another kiss, and another, gripping her to him until he burns from the inside out. She fits against him, he realizes, strikingly well.

Her breath puffs warm against his mouth as they pop apart wetly. "That won't happen again." He frowns, half gutted at her words.

Hanging his head, he stares at her hands on his chest.

It's fine. If she doesn't want him the same way he clearly craves her, with this feeling, a rush that sparks at the base of his spine, and ignites something hidden in his heart, he will not force her.

"I'm sorry." He sags slightly, "I shouldn't have—"

Her lips hush him, pressing hard and warm as she wraps herself around him, hoisting herself slightly higher, tangling her hands back into his hair and inhaling deeply against his lips.

"I meant going silent." The warmth of her breath exhales around him. "I won't do it again. I promise."

He feels the smile crack his cheeks as her nose nudges against his own, a swelling in his chest. They are not perfect. Not together and certainly not apart. But he ventures he'd rather be imperfect with her than without.

"You can kiss me again though."

It's the arch in her brow, the slight blushing bitten back smile that has him stumbling a bit over himself. Lovestruck fool.

"Now, let's get back to Storybrooke. Can't have nearly died for nothing right?"

He grins, regains his feet and pulls her tight once more to kiss her because she said he could, soaks in everything about her, before she laughs and pushes him lightly away with a heat to her eyes. "This first." Nodding he laces his fingers through her own, though loathed to part with her lips now that he has tasted her.

"Fine. This first."

She smiles and throws a bean in front of them, hair blowing wildly in the wind as the portal forms. He watches how her fingers fiddle with the stolen satchel, a shade of uncertainty crossing her features as they wait.

"Must feel nice."

"What?" She flicks her gaze up to him puzzled.

"Giving Regina her happy ending back."

Blowing a breath from her nose she nods, grips his hand tight in hers and lifts up on her tiptoes to buss his lips. "I hope it works."

"I'd be rather irritated it if didn't and you just about died trying to get it."

"It's a resurrection stone, Robin." She chuckles against his shoulder, sinking into him softly, "You could have brought me back."

He rolls his eyes, squeezes her hand and watches as the small town swirls into view. If this works, then it was all worth it. But the thought doesn't escape him why they are doing this all in the first place.

Lost love.

It's not something he particularly wants to deal with, especially not with her. He has an entire lifetime of kissing her ahead of him, an entire life of loving her.

"I would prefer you staying alive, just in case."

FIN.


	113. Page 23

#22 - Page 23 showing up out of nowhere.

Final Scene of OUAT - Set in SB

OQPrompt #22 - Page 23 shows up to Regina

He said he would try but could make no promises as to the outcome. Attempting to resurrect the dead is hard enough, and the way Robin died would make it exceptionally more difficult. She knew all that already, understood that more than likely it wouldn't work.

She was allowing hope to wrap it's spindly claws into her heart again. Just one more time. For a final time. After this, she will let it go. Let him rest. Let herself try and move on, find another version of a happy ending within herself. She doesn't _need_ him to make her feel at peace with the world, but she _wants_ him there; selfishly, maybe?, but regardless, being with him is far better than being without.

So she will try one last time.

He needed something personal of Robin's, so she brought one of his arrows. He needed a drop of Regina's blood, and she didn't wince when the knife sliced across her hand.

Her heart pulsed frantically as the electric green magic began to swirl around her, popping and crackling shards of lightning that she stood directly in the middle of. He said _think of him, everything about him_ \- and she tried, from the smallest details of silver in his eyes, to the last thing he ever did for her, the one thing that took him away, and then everything in between. A spiraling white cord wrapped around her from ankle to throat as she focused on the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, the slight frown when he was lost in thought - the magical binding didn't seem so suffocating across her chest if she thought about the way he loved his children, the softness in his voice in the early mornings - it didn't burn quite as sharply against her skin with the memory of his lips touching hers, the desperation in those first few kisses, the last thing he'd said to her, that she was his future, how honest and resolute he sounded that night and how terribly she believed it was going to be true.

It snapped the rope around her body, burst and evaporated in front of her, and for a half second, her eyes didn't open, a blissful fraction of hope skittered over her skin. She waited to feel him, have his arms thrown around her tightly, waited to hear his voice, to taste his smile through a kiss.

The bubble of hope deflated the second Facilier sighed, sadly.

A tear rolled down her cheek at the feeling of a hand squeezing her own, a pained _I'm sorry Regina_ , whispered dejectedly.

What else was she expecting when miracles aren't real?

He walked her to Granny's, bid her good night, and left Regina to stand alone underneath the archway, listening to the hustle and bustle of happy voices inside the diner, and feeling less and less like going inside. Turning on her heel, she walks slow, blinks away a few stray tears and tugs her, or rather Robin's, scarf tighter around her neck as the snow swirls down gently.

Home will be quiet. Home will have no prying eyes and curious questions as to why her eyes are puffy and red rimmed. It is safe, and so she walks, shivers slightly at the chill. The town always seems so small at night to her, quaint and warm, and the path to her mansion is a quick one.

Gloves would have been a good idea, she thinks, as numbness prickles her fingers. Graciously, the low yellow glow of her white front porch is already growing in the darkness.

Reaching into her pockets for her keys, a crinkling noise echoes into the skies instead. Her brow cinches and frowns as she tugs a piece of paper from her pocket, one she knows far too well with it's aged edges and soft texture.

There is no point looking at it, at what could have been. She knows the painting by heart. Which colours swirl with which, the way he has her pressed gently into a stone archway, the youth in their first kiss that never happened.

He told her once it meant hope, that there was a future for her somewhere, on some unseen path she'd yet to find. A daunting task to hold onto when time and time again it's been stripped away.

She blots away her tears, tucks the paper back into her pocket and knocks her key into the lock.

It whistles by her, landing smack hard into the door. Her heart clenches at the way the arrow bounces rather gently in the oak it's so tightly wedged itself into.

"I figure it's tradition now."

She feels the smile tug against her lips, her teeth biting down the overwhelming urge to either laugh hysterically or cry uncontrollably. He's right. Every time they have met, in every single realm and timeline, its been with an arrow whizzing past her, more often than not saving her life even if she wouldn't dare admit it.

The snow crunches under her feet as she turns, slowly, letting her eyes guide her first incase this is all a hallucination.

It's heavy, the breath that whooses out of her.

He's there.

Standing just beyond the first porch step, tousled hair speckled with snowflakes, a soft scruff hidden dimpled grin reaching up to bright blue watery eyes.

She waits a half second, tips her head to the side as a tearful chuckle wetly escapes her at the way he shrugs and tosses his bow on her snowy lawn.

He steps towards her, she matches his movement until he is a step below her on the porch, hands finding purchase on her waist, one of her own smoothing over the green jacket, tucking deftly inside to rest on his chest, the other thumbing over the stubble on his jaw.

She feels his weight lean into her palm, the heat in his feather light kiss as he simply looks at her serenely.

"Hi." He smiles, squeezing her hips and tugging her a fraction closer. She scans his face, trying to make sure he is real, that he is here, less than a foot from her, breathing and alive.

"I apologize for being late, but you left my arrow behind."

She twists a touch, eyeing up the feathered shaft that rests in her front door, and the bubble bursts in her chest. Smiling like she hasn't in years, her fingers gently card through his hair, thumbs sweeping softly along his cheeks, her heart thumping as his eyes close with a relieved sigh.

Leaning down, her lips capture his, subtle and freely as though she hasn't gone nearly a decade without kissing him. He still tastes the exact same. After all these years, it's like coming home. Her hand moves to the nape of his neck, holding him to her, as their lips pop apart, slowly press back together, over and over. She can feel his smile, kisses it wider, glows at the light chuckle he lets go before finally pulling back, resting his forehead to hers.

It's not what she pictured their reunion to be. She'd thought it would be more wild tears, frantic hugging, and devouring kisses to last a lifetime. Something more akin to the ridiculous ones they show in movies all the time, where the woman runs blindly sobbing into her lover's arms, crying out to the highest heavens as he swings her about triumphantly - like Snow and Charming.

Instead it's this ethereal peacefulness that sinks deep within her, a glow hunkering low in her chest, a refined tenderness in the way he holds her for the first time again, it's delicately solid.

"I love you."

He wipes away the single tear curving over her cheek.

"And I you M'lady."

Her fingers lace into his own, and he follows her quietly into her mansion, into the safe solitude of their home.

Fin.


	114. Unfinished Business

_**The brainchild between myself and Brittany ( sbstevenson2) -**_

 ** _At the end of Season 7..._**

Death isn't what she expected. It's soft and airy, ethereal in a strange sort of way. The light simply leaves her body, floats into the absence of time, fades from existence without a hint of sadness or guttural pain from those who watch her go.

The last thing she sees is Henry's face, gripping her hand and cupping her cheek in sweet, anguished sorrow as he begs her not to leave him with tear stained eyes. She wishes she could have told him it would be alright, that she would be okay, he would be just fine, that she loved him one last time.

But death takes her before she can promise him all those things, winds it's hands around her chest and tugs her down gently.

She drifts for a while, through a blank space that invades her mind, until she feels life disappear completely within her, a last breath parting out of her lips as she closes her eyes, ready to let go, to be surrounded by some warm light that would take her soul away to that better place.

At least she thought that was what would happen.

What's strange is the feeling of solid ground underneath her, grass blades tickling her palms, a light breeze ghosting over her skin.

Frowning, she sits up, opening her eyes only to realize it's not clouds or whatever the eternal life looks like but trees that surround her. Thick, tall pines that blow in the wind above. She recognizes these woods - this forest holds so many memories for her. It's the place she'd gone to for a quiet reprieve when things in Storybrooke became overwhelming. It's where Robin had found her, time and time again.

But she shouldn't be here. She was just in Gold's shop with Henry.

She stands up, walking toward where she knows she'll find the town again.

As she makes her way through the clearing of trees, she spots a figure perched upon a log. The log where her soulmate had pickpocketed her letter, reading over Rumplestiltskin's words the day she realized she wasn't an only child, and the confidence boost from her mentor she'd always found solace in was a lie. Sitting on that log had been the first time she'd been honest with someone, found someone who was willing to simply listen, even if he was a thief, he was her thief.

The person's back is facing her, shoulders slumped slightly, but it's so familiar. It's the shape of a man she'll never forget. But that can't be. He's gone, dead, obliterated.

"Robin?" she asks tentatively, stepping closer to the log. _Their log._

Her breath freezes in wait as he turns around, feeling herself consumed by the color of bright, cerulean blue eyes that peer up at her.

"Regina." His breath puffs out into a misty cloud around her. The softest whisper of familiar, deep timbered sotto breathing out her name has all the air in Regina's lungs whooshing out in one swift go.

He's smiling at her, that crooked half crinkled grin she used to wake up to in the earliest dawn hours. She could nearly touch him if her feet weren't rooted to the spot, but her heart hesitates at the thought that this is real, in a strange way. He is dead, she is dead, and for this to happen, for him to be standing just three feet away from her, it feels a lot like a flickering of hope she'd long given up on.

His eyes scan her face, waiting patiently as her mind battles with her heart. His hand moves, palm open to her. It's with the peek of his tattoo that she is shaking her head, forcing her legs to move, a glow low in her belly, pulsing with every step closer to his smile.

He stands up, meeting her halfway and wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. She inhales heavily, burying her face into the crook of his neck, filling her nose with the pine scent she's never forgotten.

It's not enough, not close enough, her fingers slide over every part of his shoulders, down to his chest, into the soft, sandy brown hair, and back down his spine. Feeling him. It has her heart stuttering in impossible belief that she can touch him, can _feel_ him touching her, hugging her, his lips pressed softly into her hair.

Robin pulls back, far too soon for her liking, but she shivers as his hands run down her sides, finding a familiar resting place on her hips, and Regina can't help but smile at it.

The heat of unshed tears burn her eyes as she feels his fingers tip her chin up, meeting her gaze gently with a soft smile.

"Hello, my love."

Her lungs tremble a rather breathless, "Hi," back, a forgotten lightness creeping into her voice. Robin smiles, leans into her palm that moved to cup his cheek, into the soft swiping of her thumb beneath his eyes. Those bright blue, steady eyes she thinks about everytime she closes her own. She wants to kiss him, has missed his lips, missed everything about him, for far too long. Leaning up a touch nervously, she stares questioningly into his eyes, seeking permission. He smirks, that damn dimpled smirk of his that she loves so much, and presses her lips to his, praying that they still feel the same, not like a photograph as it was with the other Robin all those years ago. His lips meet hers, and he pulls her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly. She can feel the heat of his body, and she smiles into their kiss, glad to feel him, to see him, to have him again.

His lips move over hers gently for a few moments before deepening their embrace. One of her hands grips his bicep while the other tangles into the hair at the base of his neck, trying to pull him even closer than they already are. She moans into his mouth as his part, letting his tongue move along hers.

They pull back, huffing out short breaths and smiling brightly at each other. She's missed that smile. Was always afraid she'd forget it after a while, but it turned out it was just another part of him that was cemented into her mind permanently. He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip rather shyly, a move that always sent a shiver down her spine.

Tears spring to her eyes as she looks upon the face of her soulmate, the man who gave up everything to let her live. She shakes her head in confusion. This doesn't make sense. She remembers saying goodbye to Henry, remembers sacrificing herself for her son's happiness. Robin had taught her so many decades ago that true love was just that, a sacrifice, giving up everything you have for the person you loved. If he's here, in a place that looks so much like her home, that must mean this is the underworld they'd willingly gone to so long ago.

"Am I…?"

"No," he breathes, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear before dropping his hand back to her hips. He gives her a little squeeze before saying, "You sacrificed yourself for Henry, but you're not dead yet, love."

Her eyebrows furrow, confusion coloring her features. "If I gave up my life, then how am I not gone yet?"

Robin chuckles, stepping back and taking her hand. He leads her to their log, sitting down and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"There's still something tethering you to the real world," he says, struggling to find the words to explain. "I'm not sure what it is, but you feel different - you feel... not all the way gone just yet."

She looks around, eyebrows pinching as she tries to work out what's going on. "Is this the underworld?"

He nods, and she drops her head down dismally. Hades' world had been awful for the souls caught here, they all had been so miserable waiting forever to complete their unfinished business, to have a chance to move on to a better place.

"I'm sorry. This isn't a place I ever wanted you to be. It's awful here from what I remember."

"This underworld isn't the quite the same," he assures. "Since Hades left, it's been much more peaceful. It's very similar to daily life up there."

She cocks a brow curiously, lacing their fingers together.

"It's oddly tranquil, in a strange sort of way. Everyone here has some sort of purpose - a job if you will - taking care of this town as we wait to finish whatever is holding us here."

Regina sighs and nods her head, happy to know that at least he hasn't been tortured for two decades. "Is it me? Your unfinished business… is that why you're stuck here still?"

She has a feeling she is but would also feel terrible knowing that he's been stuck in limbo for so long waiting for her and never being able to move on to the light, to the better place.

He smiles gently at her, turning so his thigh is pressed against her bent knee. He takes her hands in his, wrapping them up in his warmth. "Partly," he shrugs truthfully, bringing her hands up to his lips and pressing a loving kiss to her knuckles. "Part of my unfinished business is something I never got to tell you."

She tilts her head to one side, shaking it and asking what he means.

"Regina," he says softly, as if not to disturb the silence of nature around them. She can hear birds chirping in the trees around them and leaves rustling from the gentle breeze that's blowing. She looks into his eyes, wondering.

"I never got to tell you that I love you."

Those tears she's done so well to keep at bay spring to her eyes again, a lone tear slipping down her cheek as she lets out a little laugh. Of course she always knew he loved her, he gave up his entire existence for her, but hearing those three little words makes her heart skip a beat. She smiles through her tears as she sees his eyes glistening wetly as well. "I always loved you, and I'm sorry I never got to tell you."

Regina shakes her head at him, reaching up to wipe the tears lining his lashes, smiling gently at the relieved sigh he lets go. "I know you do, Robin. I always knew." His eyes flutter shut, missing the beaming smile parting her lips. "And I love you, too. More than anything." She leans in, pressing another kiss to his lips.

"What is the rest of your unfinished business?" she questions as they pull apart.

He sighs, sits back a fraction, his eyes moving to gaze at the dirt stuck to his boot. If she didn't know better she'd say he looks nervous, running a hand down his face, behind his neck, as he chews on his lower lip. His fingers scratch lightly at his jaw before bringing it back down to hold hers in her lap. "My children," he confesses, "I just need to know that they're okay."

"They are wonderful," she beams, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Both of them are perfect, and a lot like you." She sighs, looking into his eyes before giving him a sad smile, saying, "They miss their dad."

"Yeah?"

She nods, swallows a little heavier at the weight Robin's eyes scan her face. He knows, he always did, when something wasn't right, when she wasn't feeling exactly herself. Sighing, she thumbs over his knuckles, decidedly not looking at him out of a flicker of guilt.

"A lot happened after you died, some decisions I'm not exactly proud of, some that were out of my control."

His hums curiously, dips his chin down to meet her eyes, seeing the glimmer of pain behind the honesty.

"Whatever it is Regina, you can tell me."

She tries to smile, fails pitifully, but tries anyway.

"Roland went back to the Enchanted Forest."

"He didn't stay with you?" His voice drops an octave as he swallows thickly at Regina's sad frown.

"Henry ran away to New York; Emma and I went to go find him, and by the time I got home…" She sniffs hard, stifling her own pain at the memory of finding her other son gone, "John figured it was best he live where his father was from."

"They took him? How is that possible? They knew I wanted Roland to stay with you. They knew how much you meant to both of us." His scowl deepens as he draws in a heavy breath.

He's angry. It's written across his face, a tension in his shoulders she smoothes a palm over. She shrugs, "They did what they thought was best."

"Still, Regina." He turns, squeezes her hands, pulling them both up to his lips, "You have to know I never would have wanted that. You loved my son like your own, and I trusted my men to understand that."

She sighs, "Thank you. There was definitely a point when I wondered if-"

"No." He cuts her off, "He should have stayed with you. In my heart I trusted that you would give him the best life possible, and I don't doubt my men have tried in their own right, but I wish he would have stayed with his mother."

His confidence in her throws her off for a second, though it shouldn't; he was always the one to have complete faith in her. The steadiness in his eyes that crinkle at the corners with a smile makes her bite down on her bottom lip as she chuckles wetly, leaning in to rest her forehead on his own.

"I went back to find him."

Robin stills at that, leaning back to capture her eyes once more.

"It was about a year after you died, and I wasn't entirely sure if I should even try." She tucks a hair behind her ear, "But I wanted to know he was alright."

"And?" Robin clenches against her fingers, his gaze burning into her, waiting.

Regina beams, running a free hand through Robin's hair, "He's doing really great." The smile he levels her with nearly knocks the breath from her lungs. His eyes flush with renewed tears, the crinkles in his eyes deepening. "He is? He's okay? Happy?"

"Yeah." Regina chuckles wetly back, pressing a kiss to Robin's cheek as he blows out a hard, relieved breath. "He just turned twenty six a few months back." She grips his hand, "You have an amazing son. Honestly, he's incredible. There is so much about him that is just like you. Wild, still so sweet, adventurous, an outlaw in his own right."

Robin smirks at that.

"John and I came to a decision after I found him that every summer Roland would come stay with me. And that when he was old enough he could decide where he wanted to live. He moved into my house about eight years ago, and we just found him his own place about two years back with a few friends."

"Regina, thank you." The tears spill over Robin's eyes, coursing down his cheeks as he wraps her up in a tight, fierce hug.

"There is nothing to thank me for." She nuzzles into him further, carding through the hair at the back of his neck, "I love him like he is my own. We talked about you a lot. We still do."

"You do?"

She hums with a nod, biting down on her bottom lip with a grin, "All the time."

"Only good things I should hope." He smiles back.

Regina chuckles, leans into Robin's shoulder, "Oh, he knows how much of a pain in the ass you were when we first met."

"Oh!" Robin bumps into her playfully, "I was nothing but a charming gentleman."

"Mmmm, one who refused to stay out of my way, pestering me every chance you could."

"Yes well, what can I say, it was fun pushing your buttons."

"You were quite good at that." Her brow cocks in jest, eyeing her soulmate up with a glint, "You were quite good at a lot of things."

He takes her bait, dips his chin down to capture her lips, pressing softly against her as a hand wraps around her back, securing them tightly together. He swallows the hum at the back of her throat, grinning into the kiss further.

They part with a pop.

"Thank you again Regina. I know you say I don't have to say it, but I've been walking around this place for years, and knowing that Roland is happy-" He breathes in heavily, eyes fluttering shut as he smiles, "I feel lighter."

She sits back a touch, interlocking their fingers and bringing them to rest in her lap. She smiles up at him as he leans in to press a kiss to her cheek.

Pulling back, he asks, "How's my daughter?"

"Bee's great."

"Her name is Bee?"

Regina chuckles, patting his cheek. "No, it's a nickname I have. Zelena named her after you actually."

"Really?"

Regina hums, deciding to not get into how her niece's name splintered her every time she heard it.

"She is beautiful. Nearly nineteen. She has the brightest blue eyes just like you, long, sandy brown hair, dimples, has quite the knack for archery. I gave her your bow when she turned sixteen."

Robin beams at that. She has a part of him. They are connected.

"Bee is… she's her own person. Has a strength and guidance inside her that I don't think many of us understand fully. She's pure, but I think…" Regina blows out a breath, "I think not having her dad around in the beginning, she searched for a long time to figure out who she was."

He shrinks slightly at that, his brow creasing heavily. "I wish I knew her, that I was there to help her."

"You were though. I think that's why she is who she is. Much like Roland, they both have this part of you that keeps them true and honest. Whether or not it's the easiest path, they are very much their father's children. They love fiercely. They are _loved_ fiercely. "

For a second Robin's brow creases at that, a glimmer of paternal concern sparking in his eyes. "No boy will ever be good enough for my daughter."

Regina shakes her head with a breathless laugh, "Over-Protective Papa much."

"She's my little girl. She shouldn't be allowed to date, ever, in my opinion. Do me a favor, torch any boy who even thinks he is good enough for her." He grins mischievously, though Regina catches the honesty underneath the jest.

"I don't think we have to worry about boys per se."

Robin's gaze narrows curiously, scans Regina's face as she smiles, bringing their interlocked hands up to her lips and pressing a feather light kiss to his knuckles, "She has a girlfriend."

"Oh?"

"Alice is… sweet. A bit outside the box, but they are good for each other. Adventurous enough but they ground one another. You'd like her."

"If she has your blessing then I am happy they have one another. Love is important."

"You're right. It is." She blinks back the burn of tears, thumbing over his scruff for a quiet moment. "I've missed you."

"And I you." He leans into her palm, presses a chaste kiss to her hand. "You've given me everything I could have ever wanted." He sighs, "But it's not your time Regina, you need to go back."

She frowns, drops her hand from his face and into her lap, "I could stay. With you. I could let go. Our kids will be fine."

"You're probably right," Robin concedes, reaching to lace her hands into his own once more. "But they still need you Regina. They need their mother."

She doesn't disagree with him, but she doesn't want to let him go either, feeling literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. Exhaling heavy, she leans into his shoulder, letting her eyes flutter shut, listening to the rhythmic breathing rolling through him.

He feels… peaceful.

He deserves to have that.

She can help him get it.

Regina stands then, stretching her hand out to his. "Come on," she murmurs, pulling him up and tucking his hand into her own.

He follows quietly.

They make their way, hand in hand, through the trees toward the cave. Every step has her throat tightening, a lump forming high in her chest.

As she steps into the cave, Robin right behind her, she's hit with a wave of emotions. She's torn, conflicted knowing her children still need her, and she isn't ready to give up on them yet, but it's Robin, she wants to stay with him.

It dawned on her as they talked about their children that him searching for answers that they were all okay is the exact same reason why she is here - _he_ is her unfinished business. The guilt of how he died, regardless of how heroic and unselfish it was, it ate away at her for years, and worse, she never knew if he was able to cross over, be in that better place everyone seeks in the end, if he was able to find peace in the afterlife.

She squeezes his hand, smiling softly at the way he presses a kiss to her temple. He feels different the closer they get to the bridge. The memories of her parents moving on creep into her mind. They felt this way too, this strange, ethereal buzzing.

Robin stops, pulls on her hand to bring her back to him. They're almost to the edge of the stone cliff, and she knows the light will appear any moment now. Regina turns, finding his eyes shining wetly. "Robin?"

He smiles and pulls her into his arms again, kissing her hard instead of answering her question. She meets him equally, wrapping her arms around his neck, fingers carding through the short hairs at the base of his scalp. Robin pulls back, runs the tip of his nose along the bridge of hers, dotting a line of petal soft kisses to the apple of her cheek, with a whispered _I love you_ spilling from his lips.

"I love you, too," she breathes back, shifting to catch his lips once more, chaste and gentle.

His hands run up and down her back, into the curve of her waist and over her arms, swooping around and over again. A calm, feathered warmth heats her back. The light, white glow illuminates his features - the brightness of his eyes and the slight silver of his hair.

"You ready?" She smiles, regardless of the tears that build. He nods imperceptibly, a slight frown in his brow as he pulls her hands up to his lips, kissing each palm. "Come on." She leads them to the edge, Robin's face easing in tension as the light surrounds him.

"I think I can see the forest." He sighs, relieved.

Standing beside him, hands clutching his own, she turns, pressing a kiss to his shoulder as the tears build. She isn't sure of the rules down here. She is technically dead, could very easily walk into that light with him and be together for eternity, but she isn't sure if she has fully passed on just yet. The magic here is tricky, she remembers that, and she'd never want to risk messing up his chance at eternal peace by trying to go with him.

The thought of having to say goodbye clenches at her heart, making those tears she's been holding back fall down her cheeks. "I'm not ready to let you go," her confession whimpering out, fractured and dejected. Robin turns, pulling her softly into his arms. She breathes him in, tears wetting the collar of his jacket, whispering how much she loves him.

Robin pulls back, tears on his cheeks as well now, and smiles sympathetically down at her. He reaches up, wiping a tear from her face and cupping her cheek. She leans into his touch, closing her eyes for the briefest of seconds, trying to memorize the feel of him again.

"Regina," he says soothingly. "You have to go back. Our children always comes first."

She squeezes her eyes shut, tears spilling out as she swallows heavily against the burn in her chest.

He's right, she knows he is, but it doesn't stop the crumbling feeling of her heart. "I know," she whispers sadly, "but I'm going to miss you so much."

The joy of seeing him again, knowing he's alright, helps, but she's going to miss him even more now.

"I love you so much, Robin."

"And I love you, Regina," he says, caressing her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I always have."

She sniffs pitifully, eyeing up the white light in front of them. It won't last forever, at least she doesn't think it will, and isn't exactly akin to taking that chance. "You should go," she mumbles, nodding but not really hearing her own voice, rather preferring to soak in every last second with him.

"When you're ready, I'll be there."

Her smile barely reaches her eyes as she tries to quiet the voice inside her mind saying she's ready now, because he's right; their kids still need her, and they will find each other again, when the timing is right. When she is supposed to move on, he will be there waiting.

"You promise?"

Robin chuckles, that deep laugh she's missed so much, and assures her, "I promise."

She nods, taking a deep, calming breath and stepping back from his embrace. She wipes the tears off of her cheeks and takes his hands in hers. He looks over toward the light, and she brings herself back to reality.

"Go," she laments, pulling him to her one last time. She presses her lips to his, their tears mixing together, bittersweet and salty. "Be at peace Robin."

He kisses her harder, holds her tight for a long second before pulling back slightly, resting his forehead against hers. He smiles, bumps his nose gently to her own, a secret unspoken affection between them she'd always adored.

Laughing breathily at the memory, she steps back, uncaring to wipe the tears now and gives his hands one last squeeze. "I'll see you again."

"I'll be waiting my love. Always."

He lets go of her hands and walks toward the light. She smiles through her tears as his form slowly fades, accepting him, welcoming him home.

He's finally at peace.

Something in her gut tugs hard, a spinning dizziness in her brain as blackness consumes her mind. It pulls harder, buzzes in her ears as she falls through blank space and time, a weight in her chest beginning to deepen, crushingly tight with every second. It's blindingly painful, steals her breath, choking the air out of her lungs. Perhaps she doesn't get to move on like Robin did. Perhaps this is how villains live in the eternal afterlife - repenting for the sins with everlasting anguish.

"Mom? Mom, wake up!"

Her eyes flutter, blink slowly open, squint in the harsh, bright light bursting from the ceiling.

"Mom? Can you hear me?"

A soft hand grabs her own, stroking gently over her knuckles as she fights off the fog in her brain. "Mom, it's us."

She turns, grimaces at the heaviness still lingering in her chest, but she's met with a pair of bright, chestnut brown eyes.

"Roland?"

"You're okay?!"

She's smothered in seconds, his body wrapping around hers tightly as his shoulders shake, a hard swallowed, _I thought we lost you,_ muffled into her neck. Hugging her one son, she feels her hand being squeezed by another, hazel gaze leveling into view.

"You should not have done that," Henry huffs with a scowled smile.

"I'm your mother Henry, I wasn't going to just let you die."

"I know, but I'd like to keep us both around if that's alright with you."

A laugh bubbles out of her as Roland shifts, helping her up so she can hug her eldest boy.

"How did you get me back?"

Henry shrugs, runs a hand through his hair and flicks his eyes over to Roland, who looks equally stunned. "Bee did it." He turns, shifts enough so Regina can see her niece standing dumbfounded on the spot, staring down at her open palms in shock.

"I have no idea how I did it." The young girl stammers, "All I know is that I thought I was going to lose you and I've lost my dad and I just - I wasn't ready to give up that connection to him - to give you up - none of us were - I still need you - Henry and Roland - they just touched me and my magic went crazy."

Regina moves, lacing Bee's hands in her own, smiling wetly before wrapping her arms around her. "Thank you."

"Don't ask me to do it again cause I won't know how." Bee chuckles in disbelief, shaking her head as Roland and Henry slide on either side of she and Regina.

Henry presses a kiss to Regina's temple, blowing out a much relieved breath as Regina too sighs. "Let's go home, I have something to tell all of you." She ignores their curious, cocked brows, tries to not smile at the matching expression of Roland and Bee, one so similar to their father's. She simply takes Henry's arm, leans against his shoulder and lets him lead her home.

It feels different.

She feels different, lighter in the recesses of her heart. An invisible thorn, long stabbing through her, suddenly gone, the deep guttural guilt floating away, filled with a silent serenity in it's place.

He's at peace. He's okay.

And she will be with him again.

Fin.


	115. Freedom

Based off the the series finale stills of Regina in chains and the fact we know Robin Hood makes an appearance.  
I hope this does justice for our fandom. I have loved every second of our gorgeous ship and I truly hope that you enjoy this one shot.

* * *

She thought her sins had been repented for a thousand times over. After years of trying to change - owning up for the misdeeds and unkindness of a past life, becoming the hero everyone had needed - it still apparently wasn't enough. Or at least to certain people it wasn't, those still hell bent on anger and revenge for her. Hence why she is currently sitting in a cell, a heavy, thick chain cementing her ankles and wrists together.

Perhaps it's for her own good - being a prisoner of someone else, spending the rest of her days silently atoning for more ill-fated decisions she'd made a lifetime ago. Maybe some choices aren't worth forgiveness.

The cold press of stone against her back aches deep in her bones, a hardness that has her legs tingling painfully from lack of movement. Restriction. It's all around her. Within her. Whatever these shackles hold within, it's depleting her magic by the second. She can feel it. The weight of them pressing against her skin, rubbing it red and raw.

Her magic sparks but does not light. Flickers yet doesn't flame. It reminds her of Greg, of being strapped down to a steel table, her brain on electrical fire. That should have killed her. She should have died then. Maybe things for those she loved would have turned out differently, better without her there.

Grimacing, she cracks her neck, arching against the wet stone. It's damp, a chill that settles low in her muscles heightens the rumbling in her stomach. Days have gone by without anything more than a plate of stale bread thrown her way, and she will be damned before being forced to eat like some savage. She's survived worse than this. But maybe she isn't meant to survive any longer. Exhaustion is already seeping through her. A dryness in her throat inhibiting the ability to swallow. It would be so easy to just give in. Close her eyes and let her damaged heart finally stop beating.

Her mind drifts in and out of consciousness with the lolling of her head.

How easy it would be to let the darkness finally take over.

Maybe it will be peaceful, death. Letting herself sink into the afterlife. Hopefully she won't feel anything. No gasping of breath, no painful squeezing of her heart being crushed to dust in someone's hand. Just ethereal stillness that hugs her warm, takes her by the hand and guides her into that place everyone seeks in the end.

"You shouldn't be thinking like that."

Her eyes jolt open, immediately shutting with a blinding brightness long deprived. Swallowing thickly, she shakes her head, frowning at the voice she swore was just there. Her fingers burn from the shackles cutting off the blood supply, fumbling against each other in a weak grasp. The chains clink, jingle and jostle for a moment in her closed darkness. She hisses against the sting of pain as the momentarily tighten around her wrists before falling completely free. Her hands drop to her lap, burning with red rawness. If only her damn magic was working she could fix this, be rid of the pain for at least a moment's time.

She licks her lips, swallows hard as her wrists roll over, cracking and popping before something soft caresses over the damaged skin. A gentle grasp that soothes instantaneously. One she sighs into gratefully. Perhaps death has released her of the chains.

"You're not dead."

It's there again, that voice. Ghosting around her as she scowls at its words. Why can't she be? Would that really be so horrible? She wrenches her hands away from the calm grip, hugging them to her chest as she feebly scrambles away from the light and back into the dark. Dark is easy, she knows the darkness. It's the light that makes her nervous. It always has. It reaches for her again, lands on her thigh, spreading that gentle heat throughout her again.

She shifts away from it, a bit too quick as the back of her head smacks hard into the stone wall behind her. A whimper escapes alongside the sharp bite of pain ricocheting in her skull. Death isn't pleasant she decides, it's a hateful bitch.

A chuckles snickers in front of her. A smug little thing she frowns at. But at the same time, her heart flickers, she knows that light laugh. The sound of it ingrained into her very being. It's _his_ laugh. Which is impossible unless she actually is dead, in some afterlife where death toys with the strings in her heart.

"You know, if you'd just open your eyes this would be much easier, my love."

Everything freezes. She freezes. Her body turning stone cold even as the warmth of a soft touch grazes up her forearm, over the round of her shoulder, up to cup her jaw, settling lightly there. She breathes in against it. Leans heavily into the gentle swiping along her cheekbone.

"Come on now, don't be stubborn."

She hears his smile. Feels it more than anything.

Slowly she does, against every fiber of her pessimistic selfthat revolts against leaning into hope and cracks her eyes open. Blinks twices against the light that fuzzes out the silhouette in front of her, and then he is just there. Smiling as he always had.

"There you are."

She wants to say something, his name would be a good start, but everything seems so surreal. The horrid blue glow last time she saw him is gone. He looks almost real, save for the soft, yellow light that simmers gently over his form, highlighting the speckles of silver in his hair, the ring of sapphire blue around his eyes. He looks... ethereal.

His hands roam along her thigh, down her calf before jingling the cuff there. "You know, if you'd paid attention all those times I tried to teach you how to break loose of such constraints, perhaps you wouldn't be in this predicament." He grins, bites down on his smile as his eyes flick up to hers once more.

He's right.

The comment bubbles in her stomach over memories of the missing year, the two of them sitting on the balcony chaise, her back against his bare chest, she scowling down at the lock in her hands that refuses to pop open with the pin he'd given her. She'd lamented that there was no point in such trivial things when she had her magic, which almost makes her laugh now, sitting in a dark, wet cell without her said defence to aide her.

The latch clicks open, thunks with an echo against the stone ground. She frowns at the ache in her ankle, hisses at the initial contact of Robin's palm that moves to cup her leg gently, massaging at the base of her limb till the tension runs out of her body and she sags gratefully against the wall behind her. "Just one more okay?"

She nods, still hasn't said anything but stare at him, debating if she is hallucinating or this is real. Which in all reality, it can only be the first, as much as she wishes it could be the latter. He works quickly, nimble fingers jiggling a slender pin into the lock space till it too pops open, giving her the freedom she'd been unable to give herself.

Quietly he takes the chain off her, leans in close enough his breath puffs against her cheek as he slides the contraption from around her waist and tosses it to the side with a reverberating clang.

Regina watches as he scowls at the offending metal for a moment, a flicker of anger running across his features before he turns back to her, hands still gently roaming along her forearms, down to her palms and back up. Tentatively she reaches for him, lets her fingers dance along the collar of the white cotton shirt, thumbing the fabric with a shaky hand as she swallows hard and heavily against the burn of tears building behind her lashes. Her brow cinches at the yellow glimmer along his skin, warm to the touch though her palms fall straight through it's glow.

She tries to find her voice then, but it comes out as nothing more than a cracked groan against the dryness in her throat. The strain has Robin frowning once more, reaches beside him for a satchel of water that wasn't there before. He moves, cups the back of her head and tips it up to her lips, stroking at the base of her skull as she drinks greedily for long seconds before sighing back, leaning heavy into his palm as he wipes a bead of water dripping down her chin.

"Are you real?" she whispers out finally. He smiles, resting the water bag beside them, and moves to cup her cheeks, ensuring that she can do nothing but be held by his gaze. Her fingers wrap around his wrists, around his tattoo beneath the cotton shirt as she sighs with a shake of her head, "You can't be real." She sinks, deflates into herself, into his chest, closing her eyes as tears betray her and slide down. It aches, more than superficial metal burns and stiff bones.

Robin shifts, sits back a fraction, enough to tip her chin back up to meet his eyes, her own red rimmed and watery in doubt. He thumbs away a tear, "And why is that?" She shakes her head, sniffs hard, before letting this illusion cloud her judgement enough that she is smoothing her fingers along the lines of his face - over the dimples hidden beneath the scruff, the slight down turn of his lips, and beneath his eyes as he sighs into her touch.

"I watched you die."

He sinks for a moment.

"You died standing in front of me." Her breath hitches, catches and shakes as the tears run wildly down her cheeks. "You were there one second and gone the next." Sorrow settles heavily between them, sinks and burns hot as she runs her fingers through his hair, "I tried to bring you back."

He doesn't quite meet her eyes, instead focuses on a curl around her jaw, thumbing it gently as he sits down with her thighs drawn across his legs. Her tears well once more when he laces their hands together with a long exhale.

"Regina, I never want-"

"I'm so angry with you." She cuts him off sharply, though her voice trembles. "I never wanted you to do that for me. To die for me." It begins to boil in her stomach, the memory of that night in her office, the last time she ever saw him, felt him. For years she'd tamped it away. This hot frustration for what happened. "I never wanted that. And it makes me so aggravated that you just decided to leave me, to leave Roland, our family, without even thinking." Her tears fall angrily as she wipes them away quickly.

He peers up, a crinkle in his brow as he tilts his head to the side with a slight shrug, "I can't apologize for it."

Angered exasperation floods her at his words. The bubble in her chest pulsing at the feeling of his hands on her thighs, stroking gently at the denim. "Which is why I am so angry with you! You didn't think about what you were doing."

Robin huffs, squeezes her leg with a deadpanned heavy gaze back at her, "Actually that's all I thought about."

"Robin, you weren't thinking!"

He turns, shifts slightly to face her more squarely, "I knew exactly what I was doing, Regina." His hands reach up to cup her cheeks, thumbing away the tears that stain her cheeks, "I knew what was going to happen."

She doesn't much care about crying in front of him, he's seen it all before. "Then why the hell did you step in front of me?"

He sighs, bringing her hands up to his lips with a soft confessed; "Because."

"That's not an answer." Regina snaps, uncaring at the slight flinch it sends through him.

"I wasn't going to watch you die Regina. I couldn't." He shakes his head, gripping her hands tighter, "I'm sorry for leaving you like that, but you have to understand there wasn't a chance in hell I was going to let you die."

He's so bloody infuriating. Down to his very core. This noble heroic man irritates her to the deepest part of her core. She says nothing, huffs out a sad wet breath instead. He doesn't understand. Seeing him, being in that moment where she froze and he sprung into a stupid decision that cost her everything. It clenches her heart tight. The guilt. Guilt over the fact she did nothing but stand there like a statue and let him die. For years she's gone over that moment. The second she saw Hades raise the crystal and Robin leapt in front of her.

She is angry with him. She is. But sitting here, with him, however real he may be right now, it stirs something she had long avoided to confront. Her anger isn't directed at Robin, pain and sorrow, yes, a longing to have those precious few seconds back where she could have saved them, saved him, but the anger that boils in her stomach takes a knowingly inward turn.

She froze, and he died. She failed him, failed herself in the minute he needed her most.

Her magic should have been their saving grace. But staring death in the face, it stole all her thought process, rendered her nothing more than frightened prey when her entire life she has done everything to be the predator.

Dejection runs through her as she exhales wetly, "I asked you to not get in my way." It's barely above a strained whisper through shaky lips as she curls her legs into her chest, some feeble attempt to find security in a damaged guilt ridden heart.

"It wasn't your fault." He tugs her back gently, unravelling her arms around her shins.

She goes willingly into his arms, of course he knows what she is thinking. He always had. His arms wrap around her shoulders, a leg shifting behind her so she sits between his thighs, a hand coming up to cradle her head to his chest. Regina sniffs, curls into him tighter, "You're so stubborn. So stupid and stubborn."

He presses a soft kiss to the curls of her hair, running a palm up and down her back gently, chuckling quietly with another kiss against her hair, "I could say the same about you."

"I am not." She scoffs into his linen shirt, though her lips part into a slight smile.

"No, you just refused to learn how to pick a lock."

Her eyes find the chains tossed beside them, crumpled into the dirt. Turning away from the restraints, she buries her head into his chest, leaning into his heart beat steadily thumping away under her palm. It feels good, having this feeling back. Tucked away in his arms, his warmth settling into her core. The yellow glow of his skin simmers away as she toys with his free hand in her lap. "Are you some figment of my imagination?"

He shifts, leaning back a fraction to tip her head up, "Does it feel that way?" For a long moment she simply stares at him, at the bright cerulean blue of his eyes, the creases at the corners, a speckling of grey in his scruff. Her fingers move to card through his hair at the nape of his neck, the other sliding to his jaw.

His lips meet hers as she tilts towards him. The second they touch, she feels it in every fibre of her soul, an ethereal peace that seeps through her. He's soft, gentle as always in his affection as he holds her to him, delicately tasting her lips with gentle presses and pulls of his mouth on hers, a flick of his tongue against her lips. She loved this. These quiet reserved moments that passed between them. So few and far between, stolen much too soon. She whispers softly against his lips, "No, it doesn't," a smile breaking against her cheeks as they pop apart.

She has missed this. Kissing him. Feeling his hands hold her, the scratch of his stubble against her cheeks as his lips move to dot affection to her nose, one to her temple before he rests his forehead against her own. Perhaps they don't have to lose this again. If this is supposed to be some strange in between for her, a limbo cutting through life and death, maybe it would be okay if she chose him, had the choice to stay with him.

The thought softens her. They could be together again. She hums quietly, licking her lips with trepidation as she whispers, "Maybe-"

"Regina. I'm going to stop you right there." He stops her resolutely. Pulling back to find her eyes, the bittersweet hope swirling within them. "You're not dying today." She deflates against him, slumping down till her head rests against his collarbone. "Why not?" It sounds pitiful, the way her voice saddens.

Robin sighs and presses a kiss to her knuckles. "Because you are supposed to die an old lady, with grey hair and wrinkles, asleep in her bed. Not here."

"Wrinkles?" She frowns, tipping her head up to meet his grin.

"Yes my love. Lots of them." His thumb swipes across her cheekbone to the corner of her eyes, "Laugh lines from all the years you still have to live. All the grandbabies that will need you to guide them."

"You were supposed to be there with me," she mumbles dismally. They were supposed to have all those things together. A life ahead of them. There had been so many nights she'd laid in bed beside him, listening to the soft puffs of sleep escaping him, her mind wandering into what the future had in store. Perhaps there would have been more children, ones that looked just like him running through the house in a stampede of giggles. Or maybe not. Maybe they had all the love life bestowed on them already. It wouldn't have mattered to her anyway. She had him, they had their children, and that would be enough for her.

"I know." She feels Robin sag against her, pulling her back from the momentary daydream, "And for that I am sorry. It was always my intention to be with you through it all." It soaks into her, his words, the truth and honesty between them. But life isn't always so kind to grant those wishes. She knows that, has lived through it time and time again.

"You'd have been a great grandfather." He smiles into her hair, "I appreciate that. And a loving husband." Regina chuckles, sits up straighter to find his eyes once more, her brow arched playfully high, "A stubborn one." His grin grows, the peek of his tongue wetting his lip before he bites down on the smile, "But a husband nonetheless?" She kisses him, kisses his smile and all the memories they should have shared. "That was always my intention."

He inhales against her lips, presses against her once more, drawing the affection out as long as he can, "You know that I-" Her fingers move to his mouth, stealing his words before he can finish. "I know." She smiles through new tears, "I know you did...that you do."

Robin's brow cinches together for a moment, a flicker of desperation running through his eyes, "Let me say it." His voice pleads quietly between them as Regina smiles wetly, "You don't have to."

"I realize that." He tilts down to rest his forehead against her own. "But it's important that I do."

"There you go being stubborn again." Her grin widens as she melts into his palm on her cheek, blinking up at him softly as she nods slightly, her heart blooming in her chest as he finally lets his frown go, softening out into a dimpled half grin. He takes a long second to simply look at her, his gaze roaming over her features, fingers scratching gently at the base of her head. The bubble in her chest swells, a touch impatient in waiting, crackles and bursts as his eyes brim with slight wetness over the fact they are finally getting to have this moment, one that both knew never need happen until it was too late.

"I love you, Robin." It fumbles out of her before he gets the chance. A light laugh skipping out as she bites back her smile with a shake of her head. He matches her grin, rolls his eyes playfully at her impatience. "I love you, too."

He was right, it feels good to say it and to hear it back. It has her heart clenching when he swoops back down to bus her lips once more. How many times she could have said it before? Should have said it. All those moments where she knew how she felt and yet simply relied on him just knowing the confessions of her heart. How wrong she was to withhold that from him. To deny them both this opportunity. This moment aches her just as much as it lightens her soul.

She pulls back from his lips, scours his face though he smiles unbeknownst to her turmoil. "Are you okay?" Her fingers find his own with a gentle squeeze.

"What do you mean?" His brow cocks curiously.

"Wherever you are, are you fine?"

He takes a moment, chews on her question with a soft hum before answering tenderly. "I am. It's peaceful." It stills her, holds the hope she had that he was indeed alright in a tight grasp, the creeping doubt clawing to intervene.

"Did Hades lie about your soul?"

Robin nods, grins mischievously as he adjusts them against the wall, his back to the stone, hers against his chest as he dips down to whisper in her ear, "He was a villain down to the core, a liar through and through." Regina sighs gratefully, a heavy guilt that lifts away from her heart, "Thank God. Are you in... on the other side then?"

She feels him nod behind her, his chin resting in the nook of her shoulder, "In a heaven of sorts, yes." His lips find her skin chastely, "I have had the privilege of meeting your parents." The groan that parts is almost embarrassing as she sags into him, anchoring herself to his body with his hands wrapped about her waist.

"Your father is a wonderful man."

Regina smiles at that, at the idea that they have met. Her father would have adored Robin, that she has always been certain of. They are soft souls, the two of them. The gentle kind to contrast her own hardness. Speaking of hard, she recoils with a tight, "And my mother?"

The puff of laughter shivers against her skin as Robin ducks his face down into her hair with a light snicker, "It took her sometime to warm up to me, let's just say." Regina rolls her eyes, picturing the expression surely painted across her mother's face upon meeting her daughter's outlaw'd soulmate, not exactly royalty as Cora always demanded, "I can only imagine."

She feels him smile against her skin, soaks in the way his hand lays flat on her abdomen, stroking lightly at the soft material there. Resting heavier against his chest, she sighs into him, turning to lay her temple just below his jaw and smirking at the scratch of stubble on her skin, a feeling she has missed for years.

"I've also met Daniel."

"You have?" Her brow raises high.

"He and I have much in common, aside from our affections for a certain brunette." Robin grins, bumps her nose with his own, quickly kissing her lips once more before leaning back against the stone, playing with her fingers as he goes.

"Can you tell them that I love them, that I miss them?"

"They know Regina. But I will of course relay the message."

She nods, leans into him, feeling a little bit more steady in her heart. Whether this is real or a dream, it's given her some semblance of peace, an ease that settles over her and hunkers down deep. They are all okay. He is okay. It's what she needed to know. "So what happens now?"

"Well," Robin hugs her a touch tighter, "My time is just about up here, borrowed and all as it is."

Regina sighs sadly, turning her eyes up to meet his, soft and warmly looking down at her, "You have to leave?" He half nods, "In a way, I suppose," and tucks a stray curl behind her ear as her eyes close dimly, leaning into the heat of his palm on her cheek.

"I wish you could stay."

"You know that I am waiting for you."

She frowns bitterly up at him, "Then why not just let me come now?" It's a whimpered huff she lets go when he tells her that it's not her time. Not even his sweet smile soothes the flicker of dismay in her stomach at the idea of leaving him again. "It could be," she glowers back pitifully.

Robin ponders her for a quiet moment, "I think you don't really want it to be."

"What makes you think you know me so well?"

He grins at that. At the words she once said to him all those years ago. A lifetime ago it feels like for the both of them - when things seemed so brand new, a curiosity between them yet to flourish into something deeper, a connection far more profound than he'd ever anticipated to find.

"You're a fighter Regina. You always have been."

She turns her eyes away from him at that, fumbles gingerly with his hands in avoidance. It's cute, he decides. Her stubbornness that fights against the innate need for compassion and love within her. Tipping her chin back up to meet him, he smiles softly, wipes away the newly formed tears on her lashes, "And your family needs you. Giving up on them isn't something you do."

She sinks, nods sad, yet knowingly, that he is right. "I know. I just miss you." Her sniff tugs at his heart strings, there is so much he wishes he could give her, to be able to protect her once more, love her like she deserves, a lifetime full of it.

"You need to go." He finally exhales after a long few quiet seconds, understanding that his time is fading, and she needs to make this decision for herself, to choose survival. Her nod is dejected, though she doesn't move from his hold, leans back into him till his chin rests once more on her shoulder.

"You'll wait?" she asks quietly, swallowing back the bubble in her chest that this is coming to an end.

He hugs her tight, kisses her cheek softly, "I promise."

"You better." She laughs wetly with a shake of her head, turning her shoulders enough to face him one last time. He chuckles quietly, leans his forehead to her own one last time, relishing the feeling of her fingers scratching through his stubble.

Tamping down the urge to cry, she tips her lips up to his, meeting his descent halfway.

It's wet. This last kiss. Her tears falling on their own accord as he presses into her, cupping her cheeks so gently as though he fears she may break. She lingers, pulls and sucks against his lips, begging her mind to save this moment forever. It's not a goodbye. She knows that. As hard as letting him go again is, there is hope at the end of the tunnel for them.

"I love you."

Robin smiles, kisses her once more before bringing her hands up to his lips, squeezing them tightly, "I love you too."

Her mind fuzzes out, sweeping back into the darkness as Robin's hands fade from her grasp, his warmth fading out with him. Stirring, her eyes crack open, and he is gone. A sob leaves her as she leans into the concrete wall where his body just was. It's cold, wet and solid behind her. She arches away from it, hisses when the chains tug at her wrists, rubbing the raw, damaged skin below.

Scowling, she pulls against it angrily. I, it was a dream. The shackles still dig into her skin, locked tightly together. It wasn't real. He wasn't real. It sinks heavily into her. Heavier than the damp chill of this ridiculous dungeon that holds her captive. A sharp prick stings at her wrist, unlike the chafing of metal that bites against her skin. Groaning at the sensation, she flips her hand over, her heart nearly doubling over at the sight of Robin's pin in her palm.

Tears flourish quickly as she twirls it between her fingers, a wet half cry half laugh echoing out into the cell as she presses it to her lips. He was here. It was real. He asked her to choose life, promised that at the end of hers, he would be waiting. Warmth settles into her heart as she tugs the lock between her wrists up, angles the pin down into the contraption and does exactly what she had watched him do all those years ago in her castle. On nights when he bemused her that she wasn't paying attention, if he only knew, though her words said otherwise, she silently watched every single move he made.

The lock pops open, clangs to the ground hard. Her ankles are next, quick to freedom as they too click open with a few practiced moves of the pin in her fingers. She tosses the chain to the side and exhales deep against the cold stone behind her, Robin's pin still tucked in her grasp.

She misses him. She always will. But he asked her to survive, and she resoundly decides that is exactly what she will do - for him, for their family, and for herself. He is there, waiting, and she will get back to him when the timing is right.

Her magic swirls around her, leaving behind nothing but a crumpled up ball of metal that held a prisoner, one who had been sparse with hope, and yet found a new reason to live.

The End.


	116. He Who Greets Us In The End

_**He Who Greets Us In The End.**_

He waits.

Every day at the same wooden table, the same mug of ale, within the same stone walls and dimly lit candles. He sits, and he waits. Time means nothing here. There is no sun that rises and falls, no days that slowly tick by to count. It's suspended here. And he waits every day. Listens for the chiming of the tavern door, the signal that another soul is crossing over. It's what he does now, is the first person they see, the one who guides them gently to the other side.

There are a few other _patrons_ of this particular tavern.

A lonely quiet woman with long white blonde hair, soft spoken and piercing blue eyes, who had been here before Robin passed, still waiting for her two sisters. An elderly man in red draped robes, who hums quietly to himself with green eyes that watch the door in hopes his son will walk through next. Robin has spent many a night talking to another man, one around his age, died from a plaguing disease in the Enchanted Forest. He never had the chance to meet his baby girl, his lungs had given out the same night his little girl took her first breath. He waits for his family. Others wait for a loved one. One oddly older woman who slouches in a corner alone, riddled in diamonds and cigarette smoke, apparently waiting for her cats - Robin has yet to venture over to her.

The others though, he knows their stories, has sat at length with them individually, wishing them good fortune as their missing pieces finally walk through the tavern door and together they cross over into the light.

It's a bittersweet thing to him. This strange place of purgatory where one stays, rests and lingers in wait. You wait for someone to die. For their life to have ended in one realm, and to be reunited in another with those who had passed before them. There is an odd flicker of hope that pulses in his heart every time the door chimes, one that is fast replaced by dense guilt when dismay soaks through him that it is not _her_ who glides in.

He wants her here. Selfishly perhaps, but he misses her with every beat of his heart. And yet - if she does walk through that door it means her life has come to a close, and that thought pains him more than the longing does. She deserves life. A happy one, filled with love, compassion and peace. He hopes every day that she has found those things, sometimes on the loneliest of hours here he finds himself wondering if the memory of him has faded from her mind.

He doesn't truly believe it though, knows it's just the wistful pining talking.

As the time passes, and the door chimes over and over again, Robin has found himself looking into the eyes of familiar faces.

Tuck had been the first, older and lighter grey spattered around a balding head. He had smiled at his friend, wrapped him in a warm hug before they'd settled down at Robin's table. It had been the drink. Too much rye over a lifetime that had wormed a disease into the old parishes liver. He'd brushed it off, saying it was all worth it - fuzzy memories as they are to him now, he lived a good life, was more than happy to leave his old rickety bones and aged exhaustion behind.

It has been a short passing. Tuck's wife had passed decades ago and he'd been waiting to get back to her. He wished his friend peace, walked him to the door on the other side of the tavern, patted his shoulder as the light swarmed around him, guiding Tuck by the hand and into the place where everyone hopes to end up when it's all said and done.

It had been Lady Lucas next. Much to Robin's surprise her grey blue eyes had watered the second she saw him, a short curt smile sniffed back as she crutched her way on a cane over to him, crushing him tight to her. He had always been a fan of the old werewolf, the fierceness she had, sharp tongued remarks and quick retorts. In many ways Robin saw much of Regina in Lady Lucas. They had spent many an afternoon bantering at her diner while he waited for Regina to meet him for lunch. The old woman would tease that the blush that would flush his cheeks at the mention of Regina's name, his inability to sit still as he waited and waited to hear her heels clicking up the steps. Granny knew even back in the Enchanted Forest of Robin's fondness for the Queen, there wasn't much he could get past her keen intuition.

It's much to Robin's surprise however when not short after Granny had huffed her way into the tavern that she smiles, a bright beaming thing as the old carpenter walked through the door with a tip of his hat in her direction. They embraced, bumped noses with a chuckle, a gently bestowed kiss from Geppetto to Granny's white curled hair.

Seems love doesn't have a bias on age.

He wanted to ask about _her_ , if she was alright, where she was. But every time there had been a slight lull in their conversation, Robin's throat tightened. He had this picture in his mind, her life painted in front of him. A hope that perhaps she was sitting on a park bench, watching her grandchildren play on the swings, her laugh echoing through the trees, a family that surrounded her, loved her, cherished her. If the reality was different, Robin wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Maybe ignorance is bliss.

They'd crossed over together, Granny's hand finding Robin's with a gentle squeeze and a knowing smile. It was enough for him to know that Regina was alright, at least in some capacity. The old woman wouldn't lie to him. He holds onto her smile, onto the flicker of ease it brings him as he moves back to his table, swings his legs over the bench and begins his wait once more.

It felt like an eternity. He's watched countless others be reunited, that enamoring moment of pure love pouring out between two people as they embrace, most have tears that fall, smiles that could crack even the hardest of hearts wide open. The old man's son had come through. The lady in the white gown both her sisters had followed not long after. Even two out of three cats had found their way back to their diamond slathered owner.

Still he sat waiting.

At the same table, bent over the same bench, swallowing down the same ale.

The door chimes again, and his heart breaks at her eyes. Meadow green and that gentle smile. She is older now, silver painted hair, short as he remembers it to be, many more wrinkles and creases carved through cotton creme skin. She had hugged him tight, held back her tears as best as she could, but the princess had never been very good at stealing her emotions.

"It's nice to see a familiar face." Snow weeps quietly against his tunic, blowing out a hard breath as she steps back with a bittersweet smile. His brow cocks high in amusement at the comment, Snow's eyes widening at the same moment as her hand flies to her mouth "Oh wow, I just meant -"

"It's quite alright, no harm done." He grins with a slight chuckle. Together they move to his table, Snow's eyes wandering about the tavern curiously as Robin brings back two mugs of ale as they settle across from one another. True to form as he remembers the princess begins to talk. About everything and anything...except for Regina. He learns about their children, they had another boy a few years after Neal, a spry wild young boy they dubbed Benjamin. Both brothers now grown have families, babies, and are happily living in Storybrooke.

Robin nods where appropriate but mainly sips his ale as Snow recollects stories about Emma and Hook, their daughter Hope, how she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and sail the open seas - a notion that her savior mother hadn't been quite as amendable too in the beginning. After months of back and forth fighting, the entire Jones family packed up and set sail, promising to return at some point, though Snow hadn't seen her daughter in a few years.

He even learns about Henry, his wife Jacinda and their daughter Lucy and he gets lost in the picture of Regina being a grandmother. It swells in his heart, dances playfully and bounces about as he imagines her rocking a little baby back and forth, running around the mansion after a toddler, reading children's books at night, her hair grey streaked, age lines creasing her eyes, but her smile would be the same, he knows that. She would be as beautiful as the day he met her. A little less hostile perhaps, but that depends on who is threatening her family.

He smirks to himself as Snow continues on, oblivious to his internal painting. He imagines her to be the grandmother that bakes cookies, throws the best birthday parties, and gives the best hugs. He remembers Roland saying that one night. Before Regina had allowed him to steal her heart in the missing year. Even then with the all the pain and loneliness that cloaked her, she still gave the best hugs. He also imagines Regina would be the type of grandparent young suitors would be mildly terrified of. What with the sharp draw of her brow as they knocked on the door to escort whatever grandchild she had out on a date. What he would give to be able to see her, to have lived that life with her.

Apparently, he's gone utterly quiet, failing to comment on Snow's stories for her hand moves to grasp his own. She smiles knowingly and his heart skids to a halt when she sighs softly, not releasing his hand.

"She has had a good life. Maybe not the one she thought was going to happen, but I think she has been happy."

He shifts, swallows against the lump in his chest and waits for her to continue. It takes a long minute, something curious passing over Snow's eyes that Robin isn't sure he wants to pay too much attention too. "I wish there was more I could have done for her. Been there a little more I suppose. Life with raising children is hectic." She sighs, tears filling her eyes as she avoids his gaze. "Things changed after you…."

"After I died."

Snow sniffs and nods out a wet _Yeah_ , taking a second to wipe away her tears as she chews on her lip. "I think for a long time she was really lonely."

His eyes drop down to the mug of ale in front of him, a flare of anguish runs through his mind. Maybe he doesn't want to hear about her. To hear about the sadness that shrouded her. He wants to picture her smile, not the lost pained look in her eyes he remembers so vividly. "Things happened, and I don't think she has ever really let herself open up again."

"Did she find someone who loved her?"

The question pops out before he can decide if he wants to know the answer. He does. His heart does. He needs to know that someone, some lucky man or woman got the chance to know what it felt like to be loved by her. It's a feeling unlike any other.

Snow hums quietly, and finally smiles again. "She did." She gives him a look, a curious happy thing as she chuckles, tucking her hands back into her lap.

"Maleficent."

It's not a question. He knew of their past. Of the love the two women shared. It settles warm inside, fights off the bubble of sadness over the thought of Regina being alone. He'd met the dragon a few times, found himself rather intimidated by her, intrigued most certainly, but there was something in her bright blue eyes that followed his hands as they rested on Regina's hips, protection. Silently she was telling him that should he fuck it up, hurt their mutual love in some irreparable way, he'd certainly find himself roasted like a pig on a spike.

"They are quite the pair." Snow smiles, "Mal is good for her. They've gone through a lot together. She was there when I passed. For Regina's sake I'm sure." She smirks. Robin knows of Lily, of the Charming's intertwined past with the Dragon and her child. Complicated to say the least.

"How was she?"

"The last time I saw her?"

He nods.

"She's Regina." Snow shrugs with a small smile. "Irritated with me to be honest."

Robin's brow furrows at that, though Snow waves his frown away. "I wasn't supposed to go out riding, I'd been sick for a few months. My lungs. Cancer." She grimaces, "Ugly thing to deal with. But I wanted some fresh air and I was rather stubborn about it."

"Sounds like someone else I know." He grins thinking about his love.

Snow chuckles, nods in amused agreement, "I learned it from her I'm sure."

"Anyway, I guess my body couldn't handle the ride."

"I'm sorry."

"It was worth it." She smiles small.

They fall into a quiet silence, Snow fiddling with the hem of her dress for a long few moments. "She never loved anyone like she loved you. Not even Maleficent."

Robin sighs with a heavy halfhearted smile. It aches him. Deep. Missing her. It clenches tight against his heart. Their story was so short. Their time together cut off far too soon. Not that it made it any less epic. But still, there was so much more they were supposed to do together. That crushes him. Perhaps it always will. Even though he knows he will see her again, that ache will never quite surrender it's hold.

"I think I'm ready to go." Snow stands, peering at the door on the far side of the tavern.

"What about David?"

"He will find me. He always does." She smiles against her tears as Robin stands, shifting around the table to wrap her in an easy hug before guiding her to the door. The glow illuminates around her as she breathes a relieved breath. He waits, curious as she hesitates for a moment before turning back to him with a wondering gaze.

"Why do you not cross?"

He shrugs, smiles as he looks longingly back to the opposite end of the tavern.

"You're waiting for her."

"Always."

Snow grips his hands, looks as though she is about to say something but decides against it, opting to give him one last squeeze of his palms before walking through and into the light.

He walks back slowly towards his table, sitting down heavily as her face swims into his mind as it has done a thousand times before. He lets it consume him as he begins his wait once more. He thinks about the first time he saw her laugh, a real breathless thing when Roland had conned her somehow into playing underneath the forest trees. He'd watched silently from a darkened wall as his son hid behind a tree, the Queen animatedly searching for the little boy. It was the first time he felt his heart stumble after her. The way she crouched around bushes, peering around the roses and swooping in to embrace his son in a tight hug as he squealed in delight. She had laughed, and Robin felt something he had given up a long time ago.

It memory fades into another, one where blush floods her cheeks as she hides a smile behind a glass of wine, a fire roaring in front of them. He'd kissed her till breath ran dry, put her heart back where it belonged and promised it would stay exactly there, never to be harmed again. He can feel the softness of her skin beneath his palm, the shiver that rippled through her when he crept a touch high on her thigh. Shyness fluttered around her features, something he hadn't thought was possible for the once Evil Queen. It made his heart beat faster, pumping furiously in his chest when she smiled at him. He knew he loved her then. Had already fallen for her even before hearing they were destined to be together. He saw it in her eyes, the fear as she spoke of their fated love. The worry that maybe he didn't feel the same way. It had become is goal to ensure she never ever questioned that he loved her for her and not some pixie dust, though it solidified his stance.

"Excuse me?"

He jolts back away from the memories to stare stunned up at a pair of cerulean blue eyes. She is young. This girl who stands before him. Could be no older than thirty. There is something familiar about her. Something strange in the auburn color of her hair, the slope of her nose and the small dimples in her cheeks.

"Sorry I didn't mean to startle you."

Robin shakes out of his daze and stands, extending his hand out in greeting. She takes it slowly, eyeing him up with a curious gaze.

He smiles, reaches back to grab another mug of ale for the newest patron of this strange little tavern. She takes the cup with a grateful nod, sighing heavily as she sits down, peering around the stone walls. "You got anything stronger?" She chuckles, "Whiskey perhaps?"

Robin laughs, nods and roams the bar for a moment. "A lady who likes whiskey, a rare combination."

"My aunt drinks it. I guess it's just what I grew up to like I suppose." She shrugs, blowing out a breath

"You aunt has good taste." He hums setting two tumbles down on the table. The young woman laughs lightly, "I used to sneak it when she and my mom were out of the house." She lifts her own glass up, clinking it against Robin's before swallowing the whole thing back. Robin cocks a brow at her, fills up the glass with the spiced amber liquid.

"So, are you like the barkeep here or something?" Her eyes wander the room, over the other patrons in the establishment.

"I suppose in a way." Robin nods. There is something peculiar about this woman. She is dressed in modern clothing he remembers Regina giving him, though she carries a quiver of arrows and a dark maple brown bow. He gestures towards it, asks if she is an archer, a question to which the girl smiles fondly, running her hands over the soft feathers on a shaft. "I try to be."

"Where did you learn?" He questions.

She toys with her braid for a moment, "I kinda came naturally to be honest. My dad was an archer too."

"He taught you?"

The girl shakes her head, licks her lips and focuses back on another gulp of whiskey. "He died when I was a baby. I never met him." Robin's brow cinches as he eyes up the bow, the flicker in his heart thuds hard against his ribs as he turns to look back at the young woman, back into her blue eyes that stare quizzically at him. "Do you know how to shoot?" She asks, clearly seeing his curiosity at her weapon. Robin blows out a long breath, "It's been quite some time, but I do yes. Spent my entire life with a bow just like that strapped across my back."

She flicks her gaze back down to the gift her aunt had given her so long ago. A sixteenth birthday present that came with tears and a bittersweet smile. "It was my dad's."

Robin swallows thickly, his throat swelling tight. It's his bow. He knows it. The curve of the top blade, the black carving on the front. Tears well in his eyes. Regina kept it. Gave it to his daughter. This girl in front of him. It's his baby girl.

"You're him, aren't you?" Her voice trembles across the table, "Robin Hood."

He nods slightly, not sure what do really say, this wasn't a conversation he thought he'd have the privilege to have, unfortunate given where they are but still, his heart hammers in his ears as he looks at the young woman, at his daughter. She looks so much like him.

"You're my dad." Her tears fall as she beams at him. "It's you."

It's natural, innate the way he stands in a rush and hurries over to her side, embracing her in a tight much needed hug. She grips his collar hard, buries her head into his chest as she cries. His fingers run through her hair, cupping the back of her head as he presses a kiss to her temple. His own tears flushing furiously down his cheeks. She leans back, tips her chin up and stares up at him with the brightest smile he's seen in a long time. Her hands reach to cup his cheeks, "I've seen you in Henry's storybook. I used to read about you all the time. I can't believe I didn't recognize you."

Robin laughs wetly, kissing her forehead once more, "It's alright." She hugs him again, wraps her arms around his torso and holds tight. "You are so beautiful my girl, more than I ever could have imagined."

"Thanks dad." She sniffs against his chest. He holds her for what feels like a lifetime, resting his cheek on her blonde smooth hair, the smile on his lips ceasing to disappear.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." He swallows hard, hugging her harder for a moment before pulling back, "I am so sorry."

She wipes her tears with a wet smile, "It's okay. I knew why you weren't there."

His heart clenches.

"Regina told me."

His head falls, the memory of that night seeping through his brain. The fear and panic that ran through him as Hades lifted the crystal towards his love. He knew what would happen if he stepped in front of her, if he got in her way one last time. It's why he did it. He had to. Knowing what he'd be leaving behind, but it settled firmly in his heart the second before he moved into the lightning path.

"They named me after you."

His peers down at his daughter as she fumbles with her dark blonde braid, "Robyn. With a Y for distinction I guess." She smiles small and moves to sit back down on the tavern bench, tugging on Robin's hand so he follows. He can't stop looking at her. Enamored with every little feature. They have the same three freckles at the base of their chin. The same half side smirk and think pink lips.

She is so young though. Far too young to be in this place. To have lived her life already till it's end. The thought tugs at Robin as he reaches for her hand, gripping it tightly with a shake of his head. It seems his daughter knows the question on the tip of his tongue before he can voice it.

"I saved my wife, Alice." She hums quietly. "We were fighting off another sorcerer, Yzma. She was targeting Alice and I just stepped in the way."

Silence falls between them as Robin swallows down the information. Another family torn apart by a villain. Bile rises in his throat at the thought. So much death and pain invade the living world. It's unfair. Ruthlessly unkind that it never seems to stop.

"I couldn't let her die. I wouldn't ya know? She deserved to live, I wanted that for her."

Robin wipes at the angry tears and smiles up at his daughter, knowing the feeling personally. It appears he and his daughter are quite alike. Robyn sighs, toys with her bow for a few minutes. She knows why her father has fallen silent. Has heard the story of how he died a dozen times. Protecting the person he loved, sacrificing his own life for hers. She's grown up knowing he was a hero from the fairytales, but her family spoke of a different sort of heroic. Regina the most deeply. They had spent many nights underneath the trees in Regina's backyard talking about her father, the man who loved a once unlovable Queen right until the end.

"We have two kids. Adopted, but they are mine nonetheless. A girl and a boy."

Robin's eyes perk up at that, an easy smile parting against his lips as his daughter grins wide. "Elliot and Samantha. They are amazing kids." Her eyes fill with tears as she swallows heavily, "I wish I would have told them I loved them one more time." Robin's thumb reaches up to brush away a droplet gliding down her cheek, "I'm sure they knew."

"I hope so. It's hard. I grew up without a dad and now they will without one of their mothers."

His mind flickers to Roland. His son he never got the chance to hug one last time. Robin has spent many a day here in this tavern wondering about his boy. If he is alright. Where he is. If he remembers his father who loved him so deeply. He hopes his son stayed with Regina, she was the only mother Roland truly knew. Perhaps she and the Merry Men raised him together. He hopes but doesn't know.

"She talked a lot about you."

His brow quirks.

"Regina did. I wanted to know everything there was about the notorious Robin Hood. It made me feel like we were connected somehow, and not just by a name."

"Only good things I hope."

Robyn chuckles, sips down another round of whiskey with her own dimpled smirk, "Oh I know about how you used to push her buttons when you first met." Robin grins, biting back his own smile at the memories as he waves his hand flippantly, "All lies I assure you. I was nothing but a gentleman to your aunt."

"You shot an arrow at her." She snorts back, "Three times actually."

"I was saving her I assure you."

"She tells quite a different tale."

Robin laughs, runs a palm over his face as his daughter chuckles. It's nice. To laugh. Truly laugh, from the base of his core. It feels like happiness. Something he hasn't felt in quite some time being stuck here in this tavern alone. It's good. A pure warmth that seeps through him.

"Are you waiting for her here?"

Robin nods gently, reaching for his daughter's hand as she sighs out rather small, "Then I guess I'll wait for Alice with you. If that's alright?"

"I would love it." He beams through the tears once more and wraps his arms around her. "We can get to know one another."

She sniffs with a smile, "I'd like that dad."

And they do. He gets to hear stories of her life, of all the adventures she had, meeting her love, how they'd been captured more times that she'd like to admit. The quirkiness about her wife, the way she can make Robyn laugh even when she's in the surliest of moods. It was a good love. A great one. They wed in the Enchanted Forest, Regina had walked her down the aisle. It had been a nervous asking of her aunt at first, stumbling over an explanation that if maybe Regina would do it, it would be like having a part of her father there. Robin teared up at that. They keep talking about her life, her kids, a boy who was far too rambunctious for his age, a daughter softer than a flower petal. They were twins. Adopted from a town outside of New York.

On their seventh birthday, Regina had given them each their own horse, something the three of them could do together once they were older. Till then, they would take turns riding with their grandmother, a Sunday tradition.

The more he learns the more he misses her. As the time bleeds on forever, his heart begins to yearn harder and harder for her. To see her. Breathe her in. Feel her in his arms. Memories are all he has right now, memories and stories shared from his daughter. It's not enough though.

It's on a quiet fraction of splintered time where he and Robyn watch as another fellow patron of the tavern is reunited with her loved one that he feels something shift inside. A hard stone that falls in his chest. It constricts tight, squeezes relentless hard.

"Dad? You okay?" Robyn slides beside him as he bends over the table, grimacing at the sudden onslaught of sharp pain. "Hey just breathe. Sit down I'll grab you some water." He nods, or at least tries to, a buzzing in his ears rings. The same moment it finally fuzzes out and the pain subsides, the tavern door chimes open.

She is there.

He wonders if he is dreaming. But there is no sleep in purgatory.

She is there, nervously flicking her dark gaze around the stone walls. Her hair is longer than the last time he saw her, not by much, still hickory dark brown though there is a thick silver streak in her bang. He stands, on shaky legs, his heart in his throat as she finally turns her eyes towards him, her mouth parting wide in shock as he slowly steps towards her.

"Robin?"

The sound of her voice makes it feels as though life has breathed back into him. Flutters from the base of his spine, winding warm and wonderfully through every fiber he carries. She is right there. Beautiful as he remembers. Beyond that.

It both steals his breath and pulses wildly through him all at once. He knows there are tears on his cheeks, but he can't be bothered to wipe them away when his hands finally find her own, linking them together as he draws him up to his lips, pressing a hard kiss to the slightly aged skin on her palms.

"Hi." She almost whimpers, taking her own half step forward, moving her hands from his to cup his cheeks, fingers scratching through his stubble and he could melt on the spot at the feeling.

"Hello my love." He smiles profoundly at her. There are slight wrinkles around her eyes, deeper set one along her brow, into her cheeks. Little age spots dot around her temple, the grey silver of her hair curling gently about her shoulders.

She is more stunning than he could have imagined in this moment. Her eyes are the exact same, chestnut brown with long dark lashes. Her lips full and painted in soft ruby red. And her smile. He could spend the rest of his time simply taking in her smile.

"I've missed you." She stutters, letting her hands fall from his cheeks to his chest, "I've missed you so much Robin." The first sob trembles and Robin wraps his arms around her tight, carding through her long hair like he used to as she falls into his chest, a slight shake in every breath she takes.

Small. She is so small in his arms. Long gone are the towering tall heels that put her eyes just below his own, no, now her head tucks neatly below his jaw as she stands in simple flat shoes. It's oddly endearing he thinks as he presses kiss after kiss to her temple, running his hands over her back, up and down, soaking in every single ounce of her.

Resting his chin on the crown of her head, he sighs softly, "I have missed you too my love."

He rocks them gently, not quite ready to let her go just yet. She seems content enough to let him sway them slowly, her cheek pressed against his heart, her fingers toying with the collar of his shirt. He feels peaceful. For the first time since he walked through the tavern door himself. It's finally settling in him. Simply because she is here.

"You waited for me." Regina sniffs beneath him, tilting her head up to find his eyes as she smiles.

"I promised I would." He smiles back, tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear. Her smile softens as she leans back into him, breathing steady breaths against his chest once more. He kisses her temple, shifts to reach down to her cheeks, the tip of her nose and back down to her lips. Gentle and softly feeling her pressed against him again. It's pure. Warm and perfect as she winds her arms around his shoulders.

"Sit with me?"

She nods, lets him lead her to a table, taking long minutes to simply look at him as he does to her. His fingers running through her hair, thump swiping along the apple of her cheek. It's like he never left her. Like she hasn't spent the last fifteen years without him.

He sees her eyes flick to the silver lock resting over her shoulder, a slight apprehension running through her eyes. "I'm so much older than you now." It catches him slightly off guard, the sliver of annoyance in her tone as she scowls between them. He can't help the light chuckle that bubbles out, nor can he stop his light laughter when she turns the scowl his way with an irritated huff.

He cups her cheeks, making sure her eyes stay on his own as he shakes his head lightly, "Regina, you are stunning."

"I'm old." She pouts.

Robin grins, "No you're not, and I still stand by my first point, M'lady."

Her nose scrunches in that all too adorable way, and he feels his heart waddling out of his chest and safely back into her hands where it rightfully belongs.

The thought trickles through him. He'd seen it here before, the change that happens, and he wonders if it will work, if it will make her smile again.

He lifts her chin up, ignores the confusion in her eyes as he lowers his lips down to hers, pressing softly against her light smile. Warmth oozes into every pore as he inhales against her mouth, a hand moving to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer and closer still.

Her eyes are dazed as they pop apart, and though he couldn't have cared less, the streak of grey in her hair is gone, the lines around her eyes smoothed out, even the little discolorations from age on her hands have faded.

"Still stunning." He smiles, leaning in to capture her lips one more time. She doesn't seem to realize what happened, possibly doesn't really care now that he is kissing her again. She hums against his mouth, cards her fingers through his hair, pulling back enough to bump her nose against his before resting her forehead on his own.

"You're biased." She smirks happily, running the pad of her thumb beneath his eyes. He leans into the touch, heavily with a dimpled smile sent her way.

"Well I dunno about biased -" Robyn quietly interrupts as she sits down beside them, wrapping Regina is a tight tear-filled hug, "- though he does talk about you a lot." She laughs as they pull apart, smiling brightly at her father. He blushes shyly at Regina's cocked brow and rather bashful smile at his daughter's remark. She could tease him further, but he is adorable, and she's missed him, teasing can wait, right now she just wants to feel him, simply leans into his chest and tucks her head underneath his jaw.

He quite possibly could stay like this forever. But something inside has shifted differently. A tugging towards the far door on the other side of the tavern. He's has what he needs to cross over. He can feel it.

Robyn sees it as she nods silently at his sudden shift. "Go on. You've been here long enough."

He swallows and hugs Regina tighter as he gazes at his daughter, it seems so short of a time that he's had the chance to know her. But she smiles softly anyway, reaches for his hand and squeezes gently. "I'll see you again. You deserve to move on Dad."

Regina sits back up, eyeing the two Locksley's with a curious brow, as Robin lifts her hand to his lips and kisses her knuckles gently, "Are you ready?". Regina nods, blows outs a wary breath but stands with him, locking her hand into his own. Robyn moves to hug them both, drawing it out as long as she can before stepping back, wiping away her tears and smiling brightly, "Be happy you guys."

Robin kisses his daughter's cheek once more, Regina moving to do the same before they walk hand in hand towards the far door, the warmth blooming with every step they take, soaking them fully as he turns the knob and the light glows around them.

"Thank you for waiting for me."

"Always, Regina."

They step through the doorway, together.

FIN.


End file.
